OK, so one of my players has rolled up a new character. And it's a tank.

That's not hyperbole. It's an actual tank. Or rather, it's a three-armed former construction droid turned brawler, with Brawn 5 to start with. Took some extra obligation for credits to buy themselves armour and a vibro-ax, so they're staring with Soak 8, a hit % chance of 81% in melee combat (1 rank in melee), and the equivalent of min damage 11 against any opponent with at least soak 2. Oh, and the player's chosen the Marauder spec.

I'm not going to lie, I'm quite excited to run the session and watch this thing absolutely demolish groups of minions. Should be good fun.

I am, however, curious about the vibro-ax. The game is set 500 years BBY, in the Republic, and takes place primarily on Coruscant. I don't want to limit the player (too much) or prevent him from excelling, but I can't help feeling that an 8-foot robot with a vibro-ax slung over his shoulder in the Republic Capital is something that might draw the attention of the authorities.

Is there any lore/canon on the legality of vibro-weapons? Or any suggestions on how to handle this?

Thanks in advance.

There might be areas where you are expected to not enter with weapons, but this would apply to other legal, openly worn weapons as well. And can be circumvented on top as for example the jedi were allowed to be armed even in most of those areas, so having the correct status would and should allow that marauder to keep is weapon.

BTW, wait until he gets proper armor and +2 brawn from cybernetics and a few ranks endurance from his marauder tree. Soak 15 is iirc reachable easily

On Coruscant? What custom officer would let him walk out from a starship (or through the custom point) with such weapon?

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Listen flyboy, I don't know from what lawless Outer Rim planet you came, but you keep that axe on your starship along with all the weapons and armors. You can buy permits to carry some light blasters on our glorious capital planet, but that costs credits and you have to fill in this application form....

3 minutes ago, NicoDavout said:

On Coruscant? What custom officer would let him walk out from a starship (or through the custom point) with such weapon?

It is just an axe, nothing dangerous like an automatic rifles and even those seem to not all restricted under the empire based on raw. So there is little indication that the more liberal republic would apply harsher restrictions on weapons than the empire. Building security is something different, so yeah, the custom officers might ask you to put it away until you leave the port. The cantina owner might tell you to leave it at the door, the shopping mall cop will tell you that you better leave that thing at home, but in general? Does not look like you would be need a special permit for an axe, vibro or otherwise.

I tend to agree with @SEApocalypse in that you could have it on the planet, but certain districts and specific locations would have restrictions preventing you bringing them in. I would play it where it's legality is dependent on the plot.

Do you want a social encounter where combat is clearly not an option? Then that axe is checked at the door and placed in a nice secure locker until the party finishes their business.

But sometimes you want to let him enjoy his min/max monster so line up the 20 gang thugs and watch the mayhem.

Or the player could tweek the backstory, the ax is integrated because its an old forestry bot.

And it case anyone missed my main point: A permit will lead you fast into exactly the same solution, because if you require a permit to the favorite tools of the players, they will just get one. Either legal and in the conventional way or via that int 5 slicer they have or the cunning 5 scoundrel or the presence 5 charmer. There are plenty of ways to get such an relatively easy permit.

And than you are right back to the point when building or port security needs to tell the PCs to leave their weapons at the entrance or at home, but now players will insist that they have a permit and that it is unfair. ;-)

Just now, TheShard said:

Or the player could tweek the backstory, the ax is integrated because its an old forestry bot.

That means just that the bot is not allowed to enter many, many buildings in general. Integrated does not mean hidden. Encumbrance still applies and perception checks are just as easy to locate a weapon.

And if the weapon requires a permit, now the droid owner needs to have a permit for that droid as a whole, which means in case of free droids that this droid is not gonna leave port until a restraining bolt is applied to the droid or the weapon disabled/removed.

Now shadow sheath, reducing encumbrance of crafted vibro weapons, etc … are all a thing, which makes just hiding that weapon possible.

True enough... But seriously if you were a cop what would be more likely to arouse suspicion? Someone walking around outside a building with a hardhat, dirty work boots and overalls... Whose carrying an ax.... Or someone wearing loafers and a tweed jacket with an ax?

1 hour ago, SEApocalypse said:

It is just an axe, nothing dangerous like an automatic rifles and even those seem to not all restricted under the empire based on raw. So there is little indication that the more liberal republic would apply harsher restrictions on weapons than the empire. Building security is something different, so yeah, the custom officers might ask you to put it away until you leave the port. The cantina owner might tell you to leave it at the door, the shopping mall cop will tell you that you better leave that thing at home, but in general? Does not look like you would be need a special permit for an axe, vibro or otherwise.

Just an axe? The vibro-ax! True, according to FFG not, but personally I prefer more granulity as to what is permitted and apply SW d6 rules where Vibro-Ax was (R - restricted) and on Coruscant I would upgrade it to (X - illegal). Also raw restrictions are rather a guideline. On Alderaan and Coruscant the restrictions should be greater than on Nar Shaddaa. In Clone Wars series I could not spot ppl carrying weapons openly even in the lower levels. Conan style guys are acceptable in the Jabba's palace, but not on the streets of NY (Coruscant). In my SW universe it would be a problem to take it on Coruscant if a person comes through the standard tourist starport.

One thing to keep in mind is that in cities you have more of a reason for people to be using less than lethal weapons. As tough as marauder character are, they tend to allow themselves to go fairly low on brawn and when they do are easy to drop with stun/strain damage.

I have a player who thought he was invincible with his 13 soak but throw him up against a politico with scathing tirade and a static blaster and he folded like a paper cup.

Ohh, and don't focus too much on the vibro-ax. There are a dozen other weapons which would be completely legal most everywhere that he could pick up that would do maybe one less damage. Worrying too much about it is just going to make you seem petty. Sure it's fine to have no weapons areas, but don't let everyone keep their blasters by try to take his ax. That like being told you can't take your bowie knife on the plane but handguns are just fine.

Actually you see the bounty hunters in the lower levels with weapons iirc.

We see as well Padme with a holdout blaster in the governmental district, she walks around with a lightsaber within the senate building too (concealed admittedly), the senate guards were protecting a restricted area when Cad Bane attacked the Senate building, there was no particular concern with hiding weapons before they entered that area.

Than there are concept ars from legends for the coruscant underwelt, which show as well weapons freely carried in the underworld.

Lastly, I actually carried for months on my back two, sometimes even four swords while taking the subway. Two times per week, and not concealed, but with the handles, parry and parts of the blade standing out of a carrying bag. For sure I would not try something like this in the current united states, but I have not heard from anyone having problems with that in europe. Neither in germany, austria, spain nor italy. Met even a few times strangers with katanas or sabres in the subway.

Where would you look out of place with an axe? In Star Wars not in a lot of places, but some likely. If there are pretty polite people then there are probably some kind of restrictions. If there are dirty unwashed people, no one gives an F because they have what they need to deal with some dummass that brought an axe to a jetpack/grenade fight....

Thanks guys. Pretty comprehensive answers here - I think I agree it makes little sense to stop him carrying it except for special (i.e. social) situations.

We had a person with a similar difficulty in that his character had blue skin. On a planet of millions, that might not matter, but on a small space station or in a small town, he was likely the only one (or, maybe a handful). Worse yet, he had a body dragon tattoo which was on half his face and carried a flame-thrower, so it was easier to spot him. He didn't like standing out, though, and became discouraged about playing the character anymore and the campaign crashed. Now, half of that was his idea to go murderhobo and play an easily-identifiable character who buys obnoxious weaponry outside his PC's career skills. The other half is trying to have foresight into seeing the difficulties playing one of those stand-out PC's (ax-robot you mentioned). If the player's okay with that, then so be it. It's their choice. You just don't want these "weapon restrictions" to "pop up" and catch a character off-guard. It's good to lay out those societal limitations before starting.

Also, it is good to mix it up and use the social limitations sparingly. Since he's a robot, robots are limited in some areas, too. (Beyond the ax thing causing trouble.) At the least, people will give him wide berth. Common folk will stare and keep their distance. Patrons might get up and leave when he's around. Any unlawfulness will not be easy to evade. In addition, you have to (as the GM) think about how each society you encounter feels about this weaponry.

I would agree with most people that he would be allowed to walk around carrying it. But it will draw attention, and whether they stop him or not, it could crimp his style to have a couple Coruscant Cops following him around because he looks suspicious.

Think about today. If you saw a big, burly guy wandering around downtown with a chainsaw or a war axe slung on his back (not in a case or covered up), don't you think some citizens would get a bit nervous? Perhaps call the police? It may be legal, but that doesn't mean they won't keep an eye on you.

Just because a weapon doesn't have an '(R)' in front of its price doesn't mean that it isn't going to attract unwanted attention in some places. Just use common sense; think about how people in a given area might react to what they're seeing. Also keep in mind that it isn't necessarily going to be consistent from place to place. It's possible that a droid could lumber around Mos Eisley with a big ax nobody would bat an eye; but do the same in Theed and there might be a different reaction.

I would also reiterate what DurosSpacer said about giving the player some warning beforehand. Anytime one of my players wants to play a non-human, I remind them that it is a largely human-dominated galaxy and that they're going to stick out like a sore thumb in some places. Same thing with characters walking around in public with full armor and/or military-grade weapons; just because it's not illegal doesn't mean it's not conspicuous.

For brand new characters, I have found that sometimes money is the issue. There have a character concept that involves them having a BFG or Vibro-saw or something similarly big and scary so they feel obligated to purchase it at character creation. Unfortunately, starting credits are usually in short supply and it is hard enough for a player to be able to afford one weapon, some armor and basic gear, let alone a second "subtle" weapon. There is also the question of where they leave it. Apart from all the murdering, people call them murder hobos because they usually don't have much of a home, at least not right away. There is a reason you see a homeless person carrying around everything they own. Where are you suppose to leave your precious ax "Talula"? That room you're renting down in the slums? You spent your last credits on that serrated edge after all.

I had this happen a couple of times when I wasn't clear about the type of campaign I'd be running. If a vibro ax droid doesn't fit with your story, perhaps compromise by letting his character "find" a stun club or similarly appropriate weapon early on in the game.

In our campaign one of the PC's is a Proxy Droid who routinely carries around either a Bowcaster or a Heavy Blaster Rifle.

We are often stopped by security or troopers a bit worried about our "armed droid." A casual explanation is usually sufficient. His owner is a bounty hunter so once people get a look at the hunter license they usually go bug eyed and ask that we not make too much of a mess.

We have also been known to leave it outside the ship on the pad to provide security on worlds that were less than . . . civilized.

If you've seen the old Robocop 2 you might get the reference:

"You've entered a restricted area! You have 25 seconds to vacate the area!"

So, I don't think a vibro axe is going to be that big of an issue . . . until the robot starts swinging.

7 hours ago, SEApocalypse said:

Lastly, I actually carried for months on my back two, sometimes even four swords while taking the subway. Two times per week, and not concealed, but with the handles, parry and parts of the blade standing out of a carrying bag. For sure I would not try something like this in the current united states, but I have not heard from anyone having problems with that in europe. Neither in germany, austria, spain nor italy. Met even a few times strangers with katanas or sabres in the subway.

There was a fellow around Seattle who had a big assed broadsword strapped to his back. Traveled about downtown with it bold as brass, and as far as I know never got grief about it. Mind you, we're the city with the nude bike parade on Solstice, so we may not be the best benchmark for what is weird.

3 hours ago, Vorzakk said:

It's possible that a droid could lumber around Mos Eisley with a big ax nobody would bat an eye; but do the same in Theed and there might be a different reaction.

One might argue that someone wandering around unarmed in Mos Eisley will raise all kind of eyebrows.

Well, what to you is an axe, is a precision demolition appliance to other people. Those are quite common on construction droids, are they not?

Firefighters have to have some kind of way of getting through doors to save people... still doesn't mean they take them out clubbing or to fundraiser events at the local school.

Melee weapons are an oddity, I get next to no notice open carrying my pistol anywhere I go. But if I'm carrying my war hammer somewhere for someone to borrow or for a Faire I get no shortage of stares and comments. It's definitely odd how Melee is instantly noticeable and eye drawing but a full sized pistol on my hip is nearly invisible to people. So it's probably the same in star wars, blasters are common and everyday items, but a Melee weapon would draw more attention even if no one overall cares a person/Droid has it just because the overall oddity of it

On 3/31/2017 at 4:05 AM, edwardavern said:

OK, so one of my players has rolled up a new character. And it's a tank.

That's not hyperbole. It's an actual tank. Or rather, it's a three-armed former construction droid turned brawler, with Brawn 5 to start with. Took some extra obligation for credits to buy themselves armour and a vibro-ax, so they're staring with Soak 8, a hit % chance of 81% in melee combat (1 rank in melee), and the equivalent of min damage 11 against any opponent with at least soak 2. Oh, and the player's chosen the Marauder spec.

I'm not going to lie, I'm quite excited to run the session and watch this thing absolutely demolish groups of minions. Should be good fun.

I am, however, curious about the vibro-ax. The game is set 500 years BBY, in the Republic, and takes place primarily on Coruscant. I don't want to limit the player (too much) or prevent him from excelling, but I can't help feeling that an 8-foot robot with a vibro-ax slung over his shoulder in the Republic Capital is something that might draw the attention of the authorities.

Is there any lore/canon on the legality of vibro-weapons? Or any suggestions on how to handle this?

Thanks in advance.

That looks like an awesome character concept, and good on you as a GM for being excited for it instead of immediately thinking "Oh, my poor NPCs!"

As to your question, there's no specific lore that I've seen. Coruscant IS sort of the center of the civilized galaxy, however. On the surface, I could see your droid player having to have his ax "peace bound," with the head covered in some kind of resin material that is electronically locked and will not unlock until the player leaves the "secure" area. In very high-class buildings, you may have to ditch weapons (aside from hold-outs or other concealables) entirely.

Down in the depths, of course, all bets are likely off.

So, it really comes down to you as the GM asking the question "What is the social situation like where the character is going? Will they care? If so, how much?" And as others have said, always warn your player before they enter said area unless it's something unexpected in-universe. ("Sorry sir, with the ZakTheRipper.exe virus circulating among the droid population all droids in the area must be disarmed. We will let you know when the situation is resolved.")

I've just recently fleshed out a few PC concepts, and two will be more than a little conspicuous.

The first is a Wookie "Tree-Keeper" (think Arborist/Lorax compromise) with a Vibrosaw, which I think he'll probably be leaving on the ship in most civilized settings- unless he spots a sweet pruning gig on the port message board- and who wouldn't want their trees taken care of by a real Wookie?

The second is a bright red Security Droid, with a "Subduer-9" Riot Blaster from No Disintegrations (no picture, but Ranged-Heavy). What is the typical policy regarding droids with guns? Would the reaction be different if the PC was encountered solo, without any organic companions? Is it ubiquitous, accepted, or would I be routinely harassed? Would it make a difference if I had an Imperial Peace-Keeping Certificate, or belonged to a guild (and could a droid BH secure credentials/ membership without organic sponsorship)?

Let me preface all of these answer by saying that they are how I would handle things in my campaign; I'm not aware of official fluff on any of these issues.

4 hours ago, Edgehawk said:

and who wouldn't want their trees taken care of by a real Wookie?

Any human in the more coreward systems who'd bought into decades of Imperial propaganda that all aliens are inherently awful and out to get humans.

4 hours ago, Edgehawk said:

What is the typical policy regarding droids with guns?

Droids in most places would just be considered equipment which the owner was using to carry their weapon; little different than a weapon harness or an AI targeting computer. So it would come down to whether or not the droid's owner was permitted to possess the weapon in question.

4 hours ago, Edgehawk said:

Would the reaction be different if the PC was encountered solo, without any organic companions? Is it ubiquitous, accepted, or would I be routinely harassed?

That would completely depend on the planet. In any 'civilized' area; an unattended droid with a gun would undoubtedly prompt calls to authorities. The responding authorities might calmly approach the droid and ask where their owner was, or they might blast the droid to smithereens on sight. In more lawless areas, on the other hand, an armed droid might not even raise an eyebrow.

4 hours ago, Edgehawk said:

Would it make a difference if I had an Imperial Peace-Keeping Certificate, or belonged to a guild (and could a droid BH secure credentials/ membership without organic sponsorship)?

I haven't had a chance to read through the information on licensing in No Disintegrations yet; but based on older fluff, I would say that autonomous droids with IPKC's are very rare. I probably wouldn't allow a droid character to start with one, though I'd certainly consider allowing one to earn the right to have one as a reward for some great service to the Empire.