Weapon Technique

[Heroglyph]

In the description , it says

You can improve your unarmed attacks
up to a maximum of x5 to hit or damage.
You cannot combine the benefits of this
power with other powers (except other
Intense Training powers).

Does this maximum apply to ranged attacks as well? Could I combine Ranged Weapon Technique with Special Attack bonuses?

[BASHMAN]

No.

If you want something that adds to your bonus to hit with regular weapons and special attack, try Boost. Most of my archer buillds have something like:

"Amazing Archery: Boost 2 Agility with any Bow"

The character will then have a power that represents his "super awesome bow & arrows" but will also have a regular bow & arrow written on the sheet so that if he's just shooting a regular arrow out of it, he can still use it that way.

[Heroglyph]

Okay ...should that be something that goes in the errata then? As written it sounds as if the max of X5 to hit or damage only applies to unarmed attacks.

[Heroglyph]

What is the advantage of Weapon Technique? If you could just buy Boost and it stacks, why would one choose Weapon Technique?
Is it maybe for someone with the Normal disadvantage?

[BASHMAN]

Is it maybe for someone with the Normal disadvantage?

Yes. Also, if you only want +1 Hit & Damage Multiplier, you don't need Boost.

[BASHMAN]

Okay just re-read the power- and there is no typo.

Also I thought of another reason you'd rather have this than boost.

Boost increases a given stat. How can I increase the damage I do w/ a bow & arrow w/ Boost?

If I have Boost Mind w/ Bow Attacks- that will work on Special Attack, Daze arrows, confusion arrows, etc- but that won't boost damage with an "ordinary" arrow (as in from the equipment section).

But if I have Weapon Tech. it can be used to increase the DM of the bow from x3 to say x5.

Also, when it says "Unarmed attacks can be increased to a max of x5" that isn't a typo. It is an intentional "cap" that is put on unarmed attacks. Skill alone won't account for you doing more than x5 damage. (Diminishing returns).

Another example let's take a baseball bat. If I have Boost +3 Brawn w/ Baseball Bat- I'm not going to get that much out of it, compared to +2DM w/ baseball bats. Here's why: With an ordinary bat, I'm limited to a max of +15 Result bonus. So if I have a Brawn of 1, and have that Boost power, I still end up only doing x3+15 damage. Average roll = 36 damage. Cost of power = 3pts. Assuming I rolled something high, like a 12, that is 51 Dmg.

Now if I have Weapon Technique 2 (+2 DM) w/ that bat, I do x5+5 damage with the bat. Average roll = 40 damage. Cost of power = 2pts. With a high roll of 12, I do 65 Dmg.

So for less points, my Brawn 1 guy is doing more damage. Actually I guess I could have taken Boost 2 and the results would be the same- but still Weapon Techique is better in this case.

So it depends on what you want to do. "Ordinary" weapons have fixed DMs that they do- whereas things like Special attack it starts w/ your Brawn or Mind and goes up from there.

[Heroglyph]

OK that makes sense.

I am still unclear of Ranged Weapon Technique.

Does it have the x5 cap as well?

[BASHMAN]

No- only unarmed attacks have a x5 cap.

So if you want to have a person with x7 Damage w/ a sniper rifle, you can.

[Heroglyph]

Is Weapon Technique itself limited to no more than x2 to hit, X2 to damage, or X1 to hit and x1 to damage?

Could you buy it twice to gain a X2 to hit, and X2 to damage?

[kevperrine]

Is Weapon Technique itself limited to no more than x2 to hit, X2 to damage, or X1 to hit and x1 to damage?

Could you buy it twice to gain a X2 to hit, and X2 to damage?

Officially.... I don't think it says anywhere in the RAW that you could NOT take any power or advantage more than once.
However...
I think it's implied (from thoughts here on the forums) that it's not allowed.

Who knows though. That should be in the errata.
-kev-

[Saker]

I think you can take them more than once, but the attack can only have two levels affecting it at a time. Two levels either both on attack, both on damage, or one each. This is what the 1-2 range means under the title of Weapon Technique.

cheers

[MrJupiter]

I think you can take them more than once, but the attack can only have two levels affecting it at a time. Two levels either both on attack, both on damage, or one each. This is what the 1-2 range means under the title of Weapon Technique.

cheers

Yeah, that's how I've read it as well. If I'm building a character that is using just one super weapon (like Thor and Mjiolner) I won't waste points on Weapon Technique. If the character's theme is such that he has a super weapon and other "normal" weapons then I'd go for it: I just build the +X to hit into the weapon's special attack description.

Even if the theme implies that he is a master weapon expert but you only see him carrying around one particular super weapon, I'd add Weapon Technique so he doesn't look like a useless dweeb when he's called on to show it.