Quick question about Blaster Pistols and mods..

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

Forgive me if this has been addressed somewhere else, but I didn't find it.

Pretty much every picture of the Blaster Pistol / Heavy Blaster Pistol has a scope on it. Now, according to the Eote rules, a pistol cant get any benefit from having a scope at all since it has no long or extreme range.

Is this a case of Art Vs. Rules, an errata issue or am I missing something?

I've always taken it as artistic license on a stock model. There is a scope attachement that you can get for pistols that adds accuracy if I remember correctly.

There are currently no scopes for pistols. This has been noted by others and discussed before.

Here is my latest new house attachment description:

CQ OPTICS

A short-ranged targeting scope for precise targeting in “close quarters” engagements. Close Quarters Optics may be installed on any non-thrown ranged weapon (with the exception of one-use weapons like grenades or weapons like flame projectors that would not benefit from a sight), but is typically used on Pistols or Carbines.

Base Modifiers: Provides Precise Aim 1 (minus one to target’s defense at the cost of 1 Strain), but only if the shooter also Aims at Medium or closer range.

Modification Options: Innate Talent (Natural Marksman) Mod.

Hard Points Required: One.

Cost: 200 credits.

Edited by Sturn

I've always taken it as artistic license on a stock model. There is a scope attachement that you can get for pistols that adds accuracy if I remember correctly.

I think the poster was talking about in-game reasons, not the reason the movie prop pistols had scopes. Of course they were added by the prop makers for them to look cool.

If you have at least one rank in the Sniper Shot talent and/or an X-30 Lancer (a blaster pistol model from Enter the Unknown) you'll be able to shoot a pistol at long or possibly even extreme range, which means you could benefit from putting a scope on there. So yes, there's a benefit to using a scope on a blaster pistol sometimes.

If you have at least one rank in the Sniper Shot talent and/or an X-30 Lancer (a blaster pistol model from Enter the Unknown) you'll be able to shoot a pistol at long or possibly even extreme range, which means you could benefit from putting a scope on there. So yes, there's a benefit to using a scope on a blaster pistol sometimes.

That works. But, if you look at the long list of pistols seen in the movies, MANY of them have scopes. Does Han, Luke, all shipboard Rebel Troopers, all Imperial Navy Troopers, and all Naboo house guards ALL have the Sniper Shot talent? None of them were carrying the X-30 Lancer but all of them had scopes on their pistols. A new scope attachment that would be common on a pistol is needed.

It's mentioned in the CRB that practically all pistols have cross hairs, those scopes could be the Star Wars-y cross hairs.

That's a bit of a stretch in thinking; I know. But it be could worth considering.

Edited by kaosoe

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a pistol-oriented scope. But I also disagree with the logic that the sight on Han's blaster must be an attachment with associated game mechanics. It might just be the weapon's normal sight, and I'd even buy that it's no sight at all but rather a piece of tech that we Earthlings are unable to grasp (much like all of the blinking lights that comprise "computers" in the Star Wars universe).

You have to imagine at some point everyone wants to mod the pistol they carry to protect their own lives into something better as well. The mods in the book are not the end all, but rather the beginning. There is nothing that constrains you from introducing for sale, reward as loot, invent as a tech PC, a scope that benefits a pistol with say a rank of Accuracy or something. It's your game, use your imagination.

For a standard scope, I'd just increase the range by one increment. Makes sense, and unlike an increase in Accuracy it's unlikely to create balance issues when new attachments are inevitably released.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a pistol-oriented scope. But I also disagree with the logic that the sight on Han's blaster must be an attachment with associated game mechanics. It might just be the weapon's normal sight, and I'd even buy that it's no sight at all but rather a piece of tech that we Earthlings are unable to grasp (much like all of the blinking lights that comprise "computers" in the Star Wars universe).

But by the same logic, that thing on the end may not be a barrel, possibly that is not a trigger, that's not a magazine well, etc. I think everyone looking at those weapons assumes that is a scope of some sort, and not something else. That was a intention of the prop makers and the items we're speaking of are actually real, kit bashed scopes.

Han's DL-44 is seen carried by others in the movies. Some of them don't have the scope on top. So, I don't think we can assume it's the standard sight. For me, at least, it's an obvious added "attachment". Of course each his own. I'm kind of a gun nut so I love and went all crazy with the attachments trying to explain every little device we see in the movies. :)

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a pistol-oriented scope. But I also disagree with the logic that the sight on Han's blaster must be an attachment with associated game mechanics. It might just be the weapon's normal sight, and I'd even buy that it's no sight at all but rather a piece of tech that we Earthlings are unable to grasp (much like all of the blinking lights that comprise "computers" in the Star Wars universe).

But by the same logic, that thing on the end may not be a barrel, possibly that is not a trigger, that's not a magazine well, etc. I think everyone looking at those weapons assumes that is a scope of some sort, and not something else. That was a intention of the prop makers and the items we're speaking of are actually real, kit bashed scopes.

Han's DL-44 is seen carried by others in the movies. Some of them don't have the scope on top. So, I don't think we can assume it's the standard sight. For me, at least, it's an obvious added "attachment". Of course each his own. I'm kind of a gun nut so I love and went all crazy with the attachments trying to explain every little device we see in the movies. :)

I don't recall any other characters using a DL-44, but if so you're absolutely right. In any case Han's blaster was a bad example because its had plenty of write-ups over the years; I was simply throwing that line of logic out there because it can be a mistake to apply real-world logic to Star Wars tech sometimes.

In any case, I'm inclined to consider the sights a 1 Hard Point attachment that grants the weapon Innate Talent (Sniper Shot), and it wouldn't shock me if we saw something like that in the future.

The Multi-Optic Sight, RAW, can be Fit on any ranged weapon. So I mean you could toss it on a pistol, removing setbacks from visual obstructions isn't a bad deal, neither are the 2 Skill (Perception) mods on the thing.

Toss one on your pistol, why not?

Edited by CrunchyDemon

It's mentioned in the CRB that practically all pistols have cross hairs, those scopes could be the Star Wars-y cross hairs.

That's a bit of a stretch in thinking; I know. But it be could worth considering.

You're probably right. Instead of the iron sights that real-world firearms have, Star Wars sidearms instead have a scope that serves the same purpose when taking the time to line up a shot. We don't see Han using said scope on his heavy blaster pistol in the films as he's often too busy snapping of shots as quick as he can.

I have a House Rule that any personal weapon can be fired at any range, but firing at a target beyond the listed range adds an additional Difficulty die on top of the range modifier, and will upgrade that to a Challenge die if there's any chance of collateral damage. In this case, scoped pistols would have a purpose.

Also, as some have mentioned above, the scope may be just a high-tech sight, not one that provides any particular advantage. There is so much technology in Star Wars that more advanced equipment may be used simply because it is more advanced, regardless of actual effectiveness.

I have a House Rule that any personal weapon can be fired at any range, but firing at a target beyond the listed range adds an additional Difficulty die on top of the range modifier, and will upgrade that to a Challenge die if there's any chance of collateral damage. In this case, scoped pistols would have a purpose.

Also, as some have mentioned above, the scope may be just a high-tech sight, not one that provides any particular advantage. There is so much technology in Star Wars that more advanced equipment may be used simply because it is more advanced, regardless of actual effectiveness.

Out of curiosity what is your house rule amendment for Sniper Shot?

I have a House Rule that any personal weapon can be fired at any range, but firing at a target beyond the listed range adds an additional Difficulty die on top of the range modifier, and will upgrade that to a Challenge die if there's any chance of collateral damage. In this case, scoped pistols would have a purpose.

Also, as some have mentioned above, the scope may be just a high-tech sight, not one that provides any particular advantage. There is so much technology in Star Wars that more advanced equipment may be used simply because it is more advanced, regardless of actual effectiveness.

Out of curiosity what is your house rule amendment for Sniper Shot?

None of my players have gotten to that yet, so I had to look it up. I'll probably just let them extend the weapon's range by 1 per rank, ignoring the extra Difficulty dice (or perhaps adding Setback instead). We're still talking about a pool of 3+ Difficulty and 1-2 Setback, even before adding other factors.

May not work for everyone, though. I try to incentivize creativity and discourage powergaming through the types of campaigns I run, but I can see how it might be exploited. That's why house rules are house rules, after all.