Shotguns

[Eridanus]

I find myself with several questions related to shotguns in this game.

According to Shotguns, p. 65: "Characters who are proficient with Longarms may add their Proficiency bonus to attacks made with slugs."
Since it is only possible to have your PB included once in any one roll, is it safe to assume that this means that you can use either Shotgun or Longarms proficiency to fire slugs from a shotgun?
-If so, does it also mean Longarms feats (eg. Attack Specialist (Longarms)) can be used with a shotgun firing slugs?
-Is the reverse also true? Can someone proficient with Shotguns add their PB (and use Shotgun feats) with Longarms that are in single-shot mode?

The Tau'ri Weapons table only shows one set of stats for a shotgun. Does this mean that an attack with a slug does the same damage as an attack with buckshot?

The description of the Mossberg 500 shotgun states that it has a "reinforced stock that can be used as a bludgeon if necessary." None of the other weapons listed includes such a note. If a PC wants to use the stock of a different firearm to hit something with, what should this be counted as?

Finally, does anyone have a clue as to why Medics are proficient in Shotguns? I initially assumed that it was intended to represent tranquilizer guns, but it seems as if Longarms proficiency would cover that just as well.

 

[1001100x02]

In the military, the medic is simply a soldier trained in first aid.

The game however wants the medic class to cover actual doctors, nurses, and high-end paramedic types. Ie, medical professionals. Because of the Aturen and other civilian character concepts I guess.

As a result, the class occupies a different design space than one would really expect in a game of military adventurism and as a result of that were given shotguns to make them look different from soldiers and scouts.

I don't know about anyone else, but I sure tried to persuade the devs that they should have instead given the class the unarmed proficiency because (a) I love the 3rd Doctor (as in Doctor Who) who was all about defensive martial arts when going up against hostile military types and that was perfect for the Aturen characters most likely to end up taking this class, and (b) anyone who's familiar with front line medical personnel knows how easily they can find themselves dealing with 'handsy' patients of one kind or another so it's not a great stretch of the imagination to imagine they've learned martial arts to protect themselves.

Instead the class all about fixing people up were given proficiency in the firearm most adept at wrecking people at close quarters. Yeah.

A firearm type, btw, that should simply have been folded into longarms if it wasn't for the desire to give medics a distinctive weapon proficiency.

If the game manages to survive the ill will the current open communications embargo is generating for it and ever gets to make another product, I really hope shotguns as their own things get revised right out.

[Eridanus]

It does seem like Shotguns might have been better off folded into Longarms. Granted the large range of weapon types covered by most other proficiencies, Shotguns seems pretty limited in scope.

An option for Medics to take a different weapon (or tool) proficiency instead of Shotguns would have been nice, and helped reflect the diverse range of backgrounds they may come from. Martial Arts sounds like a good option.

Of course, now I can't stop imagining Dr Fraiser fighting off invading aliens with Venusian karate...

[1001100x02]

Point of fact, Janet as a military officer was required to be proficient with a standard issue battle rifle as demonstrated during the events of Hathor

[spamandtuna]

On 5/3/2022 at 9:27 PM, Eridanus said:

I find myself with several questions related to shotguns in this game.

According to Shotguns, p. 65: "Characters who are proficient with Longarms may add their Proficiency bonus to attacks made with slugs."
Since it is only possible to have your PB included once in any one roll, is it safe to assume that this means that you can use either Shotgun or Longarms proficiency to fire slugs from a shotgun?
-If so, does it also mean Longarms feats (eg. Attack Specialist (Longarms)) can be used with a shotgun firing slugs?
-Is the reverse also true? Can someone proficient with Shotguns add their PB (and use Shotgun feats) with Longarms that are in single-shot mode?

The Tau'ri Weapons table only shows one set of stats for a shotgun. Does this mean that an attack with a slug does the same damage as an attack with buckshot?

The description of the Mossberg 500 shotgun states that it has a "reinforced stock that can be used as a bludgeon if necessary." None of the other weapons listed includes such a note. If a PC wants to use the stock of a different firearm to hit something with, what should this be counted as?

Finally, does anyone have a clue as to why Medics are proficient in Shotguns? I initially assumed that it was intended to represent tranquilizer guns, but it seems as if Longarms proficiency would cover that just as well.

 

1. Yes, you can add your proficiency bonus to a shotgun slug attack roll using either your shotgun or longarm proficiency.

2. Surprisingly, yes, Attack Specialist would apply.  It says it works “When making attacks with that proficiency”, not with that class of weapon.

3. You cannot use shotgun proficiency for a longarm attack. Longarms would need a rule specifically allowing that, as shotguns do.

4. Yes, shotguns use the same damage roll for both scatter and slugs.  The difference is that scatter can apply to multiple targets, but at a reduced range.

5. Attacking with the stock of any other weapon would count as an improvised attack, detailed on page 156. Again, other weapons would need to include a specific rule to change that, like shotguns do.