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Scaling Weapons

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 143
Starfinder presents a vast array of weapons. While there’s no shortage of armaments at any level, if your character wants to keep using the same type of weapon (like a laser pistol or flame doshko), the next-best model might not be accessible and affordable for at least three levels. With scaling weapons, you can create and upgrade your favorite for each level of play. Designing a new weapon involves several steps, many of which affects the item’s statistics. You can examine these steps in any order, and unless otherwise noted, the effects are cumulative.
Weapon Damage Dice: Some effects increase or decrease the size of the damage dice used, which use the following progression, from smallest to largest: 1d3*, 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d10, and 1d12. You can’t apply a modification if it would decrease the damage die’s final size below 1d3 or above 1d12.
*To roll a d3, you can roll a d6 and divide the result by 2, rounding up (e.g., a roll of 5 is a result of 3).

Create a Concept

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 143
What is your weapon? Often, it can prove helpful to create a short description of the weapon’s appearance or concept in 25 words or less, as doing so can guide your design and help you convey your fun ideas to others.

Choose a Weapon Category

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 143
Each weapon belongs to a category based on how it inflicts harm; choose one and choose the damage type (or the combination of damage types) available in that category. The category and damage type(s) determine not just whether the weapon targets EAC or KAC (per page 169 of the Core Rulebook), but they might also affect other statistics and which perks can be applied to the weapon. If a weapon targets EAC, reduces its damage die size by one. If a weapon deals only energy damage, it uses a battery as ammunition (unless otherwise noted). If a weapon deals a combination of energy damage and kinetic damage, it might use a battery (such as a cryo weapon that freezes and flings icicles) or suitable physical ammunition (such as a shock weapon that fires electrified flechettes).
Choose one of the following weapon categories. Any melee weapon belonging to a category marked with an asterisk (*) gains the powered weapon ability.
Cryo*: The weapon deals cold damage, or it deals cold damage combined with bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage.
Disintegrator*: The weapon deals acid damage.
Flame*: The weapon deals fire damage, or it deals fire damage combined with bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. Flame weapons often use petrol as ammunition.
Laser (ranged only): The weapon deals fire damage and increases its range increment by 50%.
Plasma*: The weapon deals a combination of electricity and fire damage.
Projectile (ranged only): The weapon deals bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, or it deals a combination of acid and piercing damage.
Shock*: The weapon deals electricity damage, or it deals electricity damage combined with bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage.
Sonic*: The weapon deals sonic damage, or it deals sonic damage combined with bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage.
Uncategorized: The weapon doesn’t fit cleanly into one of the categories above. Typically, uncategorized weapons deal bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, though they might use or combine other damage types at the GM’s discretion.

Choose a Weapon Type

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 144
A weapon’s type defines many of its key characteristics, such as the number of hands required to wield it, its bulk, and (for ranged weapons) its range increment. The type also sets the weapon’s starting damage die size, which other abilities might increase or decrease. Choose one of the weapon types—advanced melee, basic melee, heavy, longarm, small arm, or sniper—and note its base statistics found on the Weapon Base Statistics table, applying any die size changes.
Two-Handed Weapons: If you want an advanced or basic melee weapon that requires two hands to wield, increase the number of hands to 2, and increase the weapon’s damage die size by one step.
Sniper: A sniper weapon gains the sniper (250 feet) weapon ability. If it uses a battery, the weapon’s usage doubles. If it uses other ammunition, reduces its capacity by half.

Other Weapon Abilities

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 144
Whereas most weapon abilities require you spend a perk, a handful cost no perks because their advantages are counterbalanced by a different cost. You can add or remove these abilities when creating or upgrading a weapon.
Analog: The weapon gains the analog weapon special property. This is typically appropriate for weapons that don’t rely on advanced technological mechanisms and that deal only bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage.
Nonlethal: The weapon gains the nonlethal weapon special property.
Operative (one-handed melee only): The weapon gains the operative weapon ability, and its damage die size decreases by one step. An operative weapon can’t also have the unwieldy ability.
Unwieldy: The weapon gains the unwieldy weapon ability, and its damage die size increases by one step. It’s rare for one-handed weapons to have the unwieldy ability.

Capacity and Usage

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 144
All ranged weapons use ammunition, and melee weapons with the powered weapon ability require batteries to operate. These scaling weapons have a starting ammo capacity and usage values based on the type of ammunition used. These values sometimes increase at higher item levels, representing the weapon’s larger magazine or more intense energy needs. In addition, the weapon’s type, perks, and drawbacks can affect these values.
Batteries: The weapon has capacity 20 and usage 2, requiring a battery to operate. At 7th level, the capacity increases to 40, and the weapon requires a high-capacity battery. At 12th level, the capacity increases to 80, the usage increases to 4, and the weapon requires a super-capacity battery. At 17th level, the capacity increases to 100, and the weapon requires an ultra-capacity battery.
Mini-Rockets: The weapon has capacity 6 and usage 1. At 3rd-level and every 3 levels thereafter, the capacity increases by 1. These values are typically appropriate for flare and shell ammunition, too.
Petrol: The weapon has capacity 20 and usage 2. At 7th level, the capacity increases to 40.
Rounds: The weapon’s capacity is based on its weapon type: 2 for sniper weapons (already factoring in the reduced capacity applied to sniper weapons), 8 for small arms, 16 for longarms, and 32 for heavy weapons. At 7th level, you can increase the weapon’s capacity by 50%. The weapon’s usage is based on its weapon type, too: 4 for heavy weapons, and 1 for other weapon types. Other physical ammunition like darts and flechettes typically use these same values.

Weapon Flaws and Perks

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 145
It’s time to personalize your weapon, giving it special abilities! Weapon perks grant special bonuses and effects. Optionally, you can add flaws that inhibit some part of the weapon’s performance but grant you additional perks.
Flaw (Optional): A weapon perfect for some tasks might require sacrificing other features. When creating or upgrading your weapon, you can choose for it to have one flaw. A flaw provides some penalty, but in return, you gain an additional Build Point you can use to buy perks.
Perks: By spending Build Points, you can apply various perks to enhance your weapon. Except where noted, weapon perks each cost 1 Build Point to acquire. Exceptions list the cost in BP alongside the perk’s name. Except where noted, you can’t purchase and apply multiple copies of the same perk to a weapon.
Unwieldy: Several flaws and perks give a weapon the unwieldy special property, which often counterbalances especially potent abilities. You can apply only one flaw, perk, or other effect that adds the unwieldy ability to a weapon.

Weapon Flaws (Optional)

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 145
You can select flaws from the following list.
Ammo Hog: Double the weapon’s usage. This can only be applied to weapons that have capacity and usage values.
Archaic: The weapon gains the archaic weapon special property.
Cumbersome: Increase the weapon’s bulk by 1.
Low Capacity: Halve the weapon’s capacity. This can only be applied to weapons that have capacity and usage values, and it can’t be applied to weapons that use batteries as ammunition.
Needlessly Unwieldy: The weapon gains the unwieldy weapon special property; this doesn’t increase the weapon’s damage die size.

Weapon Perks

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 146
You can select weapon perks from the following list.
Automatic Fire (2 BP): The weapon gains the automatic weapon special property. If the weapon uses ammunition other than a battery, you increase the weapon’s capacity by 50%. This perk can only be applied to a ranged weapon.
Blast Strike: The weapon gains the blast and unwieldy special properties and its damage die size decreases by two steps (to a minimum of d3). Alternatively, you can halve the weapon’s range increment to give the weapon the blast special property, but not unwieldy. You can apply this perk only to ranged weapons.
Critical Effect (1+ BP): The weapon gains a critical hit effect from the following list: arc, bleed, corrode, deafen, injection +2, knockdown, staggered, or wound. You can increase this perk’s BP cost to 2 to instead give the weapon either the severe wound or stunned critical hit effect. For critical hit effects that deal additional damage, use the special damage value based on the weapon’s item level from the Scaling Weapon Progression table on page 144.
Destructive (2 BP): Increase the weapon’s damage die size by one step. This can’t be combined with other effects that affect the damage die size, and it can’t increase the die size above 1d12.
Eldritch: Treat the weapon’s item level as though it were 1 higher for the purpose of installing and transferring weapon fusions and fusion seals.
Exploding Strike (1+): The weapon gains the explode (5 ft.) and unwieldy special properties, and its usage increases by 100%. If the weapon’s item level is 6 or higher, you can increase this perk’s cost by 1 BP to increase the explode ability’s radius to 10 feet. You can apply this perk only to small arms, longarms, and heavy weapons. This perk costs 1 BP for a heavy weapon and costs 3 BP for a longarm or small arm. This reduces the damage die size by two steps.
Extended Range (1+ BP): Increase the weapon’s range increment (or thrown range increment) based on the number of BP you spend on this perk. For 1 BP, increase the range increment by 50%. For 2 BP, instead increase the range increment by 100%. For 3 BP, instead increase the range increment by 200%. You can apply this perk only to ranged weapons or melee weapons with the thrown special property.
Lightweight: Decrease the weapon’s bulk by 1. If this would reduce the bulk to 0, the weapon instead has light bulk.
Line Strike: The weapon gains the line and unwieldy special properties. The BP cost of the extended range perk increases by 1. You can only apply this perk to ranged weapons.
Reliable: After rolling the weapon’s damage, you can choose one die whose result was 1 and treat it as though it had rolled a higher number based on the weapon’s damage die size: 2 for d3 or d4, 3 for d6, 4 for d8, 5 for d10, or 6 for d12.
Sniper (1+): The weapon gains the sniper weapon special property with a range based on the number of BP you spend on this perk: 125 feet for 1 BP, 250 feet for 2 BP, or 500 feet for 3 BP. If you apply this perk to a sniper weapon, double the sniper special property’s range. You can apply this perk only to ranged weapons.
Special property: The weapon gains a weapon special property from the following list: block, boost, bright, disarm (melee only), injection, penetrating, quick reload, stun, or trip (melee only).

Archives of Nethys

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