This was when I reached the conclusion that if I ever need to run an Exitus Rifle in any of my games, it's going to be significantly buffed to preserve it's status as the best darn sniper rifle in existence.

Not necessarily - the key thing to make the Exitus 'holy bejeezus' is the special ammo types.

A vindicere only gets one of each special round (as per the old version of the tabletop character). The Turbo-penetrator round, however, makes even Stalker special ammunition look like a freakin' potato gun. Artificer plate-ignoring Pen, 4D10 damage before the Accurate bonus, and Felling (whatever I **** well need). It's one of the few weapons shy of lascannons and equivalent which can put a marine flat on his back missing body parts in one hit.

Note that the Exitus standard round already has the dodge penalty - which puts it on a par with a targeter-controlled stalker.

And then you roll six ones for a total damage of 10 (Mighty Shot included). Great job, mister "best sniper using best gun with Unique special ammo".

Lots of dice < big consistent damage bonus.

It is still within the realm of possibility to graze, and the chances of rolling 6 ones is .00001%.

Lots of dice < big consistent damage bonus.

Actually, I know players who will argue it both ways. Different players prefer different things.

If a weapon has the same average damage, the one with more of its damage potential as dice rather than damage bonus has the potential to fluff the damage roll, but it also has the potential for the what-the-holy-hell shot; most specifically because multiple dice drastically increases the chances of Righteous Fury .

Lots of dice < big consistent damage bonus.

Actually, I know players who will argue it both ways. Different players prefer different things.

If a weapon has the same average damage, the one with more of its damage potential as dice rather than damage bonus has the potential to fluff the damage roll, but it also has the potential for the what-the-holy-hell shot; most specifically because multiple dice drastically increases the chances of Righteous Fury .

That's the thing, though - on average, Exitus is worse than Stalker Bolter. This shouldn't be the case.

Not with a turbo-penetrator round in the chamber, it isn't. The average is about half again that of a stalker.

Again, the tabletop is only a rough guide, but the (standard round) exitus isn't noticably better than a stalker (other than pen value, where it is better) against 'normal' targets (T3-4).

It is, when all's said and done, a human-sized sniper rifle (albeit one of exceptional craftsmanship) whilst the stalker is a heavy weapon to anyone shy of a space marine. It's raw damage is impressive, but it's real abilities are in other special rules (like the special ammo and the dodge penalty). The 'best sniper rifle in existance' purely measured by it's ability to shoot someone in the head, dead, dead, dead, is the Astartes Lascannon.

All 40k weapons in the RPG are distinctly unimpressive compared to what they should do. A standard hand cannon round (which is essentially a magnum/desert eagle/pfifer-zeliskna equivalent) to the head, after all, should put someone down dead without any real question whatsoever, named individual or not. The fact that you can double tap someone in the head with it and quite realistically still not put them below zero wounds is something that a GM just has to ignore at plot-appropriate moments and say "wall now redecorated with an interesting new colour called hint of brains ".

Part of it is a result of RPG gaming - slotting the arch-villain from two kilometres away where you're in no threat at all, with a weapon that doesn't even meaningfully have to roll dice to kill him is a bit...unheroic? There's a reason Ascension pushed the 'hitman' side of the vindicere as well, with abilities like kill streak skills like deceive.

The single-round issue of the vindicere's special ammo in ascension forces you to think carefully about how and when to employ them, as opposed to Deathwatch (which is at its heart a combat game), where I swear most players think Mordrigael is going to charge them a penalty fee for each bolt round they bring back unfired. Equally, if pulling an assassinorium operative out on the players in Deathwatch , the vindicere will be kitted out with a whole clip of turbopenetrator or hellfire shells.

Still, to each their own. Having shot marine players with it in the past, I find the exitus more than scary enough. I think the original discussion is somewhere back over yonder horizon. I apologise for the diversion.

All 40k weapons in the RPG are distinctly unimpressive compared to what they should do. A standard hand cannon round (which is essentially a magnum/desert eagle/pfifer-zeliskna equivalent) to the head, after all, should put someone down dead without any real question whatsoever, named individual or not. The fact that you can double tap someone in the head with it and quite realistically still not put them below zero wounds

This is very realistic. Not every shot to the head location is "in the brainpan/straight in the face." That will be a minority. They majority graze the scalp. They hit the ear or graxe the nose. They go through the neck and miss arteries and windpipe. Etc.