Item Qualities

Some equipment features special qualities that add variety and depth to the vast array of armaments in the Star Wars universe. Some special qualities are inherent to certain items, while others are general qualities that can be applied by the Game Master to specifically tailor an item to the story.

Special qualities are generally either passive or active. Passive qualities are always on and require no activation on the part of the user. Active qualities must be triggered by the user, often by spending one or more Advantage to activate the effect.

Item qualities usually have a number associated with them. This is their rating. Ratings affect qualities in different ways, depending on the quality in question.

Active qualities require 2 Advantage to activate unless otherwise stated in their description. Weapon qualities can only trigger on a successful attack, unless specified otherwise.

## Accurate (Passive)

Accurate weapons are easier to aim or wield, whether through design or technology. For each level of this trait, the attacker adds 1 blue to his attack dice pools while using this weapon.

## Auto-Fire (Active)

A weapon with Auto-fire can be set to shoot in rapid succession and potentially spray an area with bolts, flechettes, slugs, or other types of projectiles. The advantage in using Auto-fire is that it has the chance to hit multiple targets or hit a single target multiple times.

Attacking with a weapon on Auto-fire is generally less accurate, and the attacker must increase the difficulty of the attack check by 1 purple die. The user may choose to not use the Auto-fire quality on a weapon; in this case, he cannot trigger the quality but also does not suffer the aforementioned penalty.

If the attack hits, the attacker can trigger Auto-fire by spending 2 Advantages Auto-fire can be triggered multiple times. Each time the attacker triggers Autofire, it deals an additional hit to the target. Each of these counts as an additional hit from that weapon, and each hit deals base damage plus the number of uncanceled success on the check.

These additional hits can be allocated to the target, or to other targets within range of the weapon. If the attacker wishes to hit multiple targets, he must decide to do so before making the check. Furthermore, if he wishes to hit multiple targets, his initial target must always be the target with the highest difficulty and highest defense (if this is two separate targets, the GM chooses which target is the initial target). The initial hit must always be against the initial target. Subsequent hits generated can be allocated to any of the other designated targets.

Auto-fire weapons can also activate one Critical Injury for each hit generated on the attack per the normal cost; the Critical must target the target of the specific hit.

## Blast (Active)

The weapon has a large spread, an explosive blast, or similar area of effect, like the detonation of a grenade or a warhead fired from a missile launcher. If the attack is successful and Blast activates, each character (friend or foe) engaged with the original target suffers damage equal to the weapon's Blast rating (plus an additional wound per success as usual).

In a relatively small and enclosed area, the Game Master might decide that everyone in the room suffers damage.

If the Blast quality doesn't activate, the ordnance still detonates, but bad luck or poor aim on the part of the firer (or quick reactions on the part of the victims) means the explosion may not catch anyone else in its radius. However, the user may also trigger Blast if the attack misses by spending 3 advantages. In this case, the original target and every target engaged with the original target suffers damage equal to the Blast rating of the weapon.

## Breach (Passive)

Weapons with Breach burn through the toughest armor, and are often heavy weapons or starship weapons.

Breach weapons ignore one point of armor for every rating of Breach (meaning they also ignore 10 points of soak for every rating of Breach).

## Burn (Active)

Weapons with Burn inflict damage over time. If the attack is successful, the target continues to suffer the weapon's base damage each round for a number of rounds equal to the weapon's Burn rating. Damage is applied at the start of each of the target's turns.

A victim might be able to stop the damage by rolling around on the ground and making an Agility check as an action. This is an Average (2 purple dice) Coordination check on hard surfaces such as the hall of a spaceship, or an Easy (1 purple die) Coordination check on grass or soft ground. Jumping into a body of water stops the damage immediately. Both situations assume the flame is from actual combustion rather than a chemical reaction. With the latter, there is usually little the victim can do.

## Concussive (Active)

The weapon's attack can leave the target shell-shocked from mighty blows or punishing Shockwaves, unable to perform any but the most basic actions. The target is staggered for a number of rounds equal to the weapon's Concussive rating. A staggered target cannot perform actions.

### Staggered

A staggered character cannot perform actions (including downgrading actions to maneuvers). Most effects that stagger a character last for a set duration. If a set duration is not specified, the staggered effect lasts until the end of the character's next turn. If a character is staggered multiple times, each instance increases the total duration of the effect by the instance's specified duration, but may not increase the total duration beyond the scope of the present encounter.

## Cortosis (Passive)

Cortosis is an ore principally found in the Outer Rim. It is extremely rare and valuable, and was used primarily during the Clone Wars against the Jedi Knights. There are two varieties of Cortosis ore. The rarest versions can actually short out a lightsaber's blade, causing it to fail temporarily. The far more common Cortosis ore is still a miraculous substance, because when molded into armor, it forms an interlocking molecular bond that is extremely resistant to energy weapons.

Weapons with the Cortosis quality are immune to the Sunder quality. Armor with the Cortosis quality makes the wearer's soak immune to the Pierce and Breach qualities.

## Cumbersome (Passive)

A Cumbersome weapon is large, unwieldy, awkward, or heavy. To wield a Cumbersome weapon properly, the character needs a Brawn characteristic equal to or greater than the weapon's Cumbersome rating. For each point of Brawn by which the character is deficient, he must increase the difficulty of all checks made while using the weapon by one.

## Defensive (Passive)

Defensive weapons are particularly good at fending off incoming melee attacks. A character wielding a weapon with the Defensive quality increases his melee defense by the weapon's Defensive rating.

## Deflection (Passive)

An item with the Deflection quality increases the wearer's ranged defense equal to its Deflection rating.

## Disorient (Active)

A weapon with Disorient can daze an opponent. When Disorient is triggered, the target is disoriented for a number of rounds equal to the weapon's Disorient rating. (A disoriented target adds 1 black die to all skill checks he performs.)

### Disoriented

A disoriented character adds 1 black die to all checks he makes. Most effects that disorient a character last for a set duration. If a set duration is not specified, disorientation lasts until the end of the character's next turn. If a character is disoriented multiple times, each instance increases the total duration of the effect by the instance's specified duration, but may not increase the total duration beyond the scope of the present encounter.

## Ensnare (Active)

A weapon with Ensnare binds a foe and restricts his movements. When Ensnare is triggered, the target is immobilized for a number of rounds equal to the weapon's Ensnare rating. An Ensnared target may attempt a Hard (3 purple dice) Athletics check as his action on his turn to break free from the effect. (An immobilized target cannot perform maneuvers.)

### Immobilized

An immobilized character cannot perform maneuvers (including maneuvers purchased via strain or spending an advantage)- Most effects that immobilize a character last for a set duration. If a set duration is not specified, immobilization lasts until the end of the character's next turn. If a character is immobilized multiple times, each instance increases the total duration of the effect by the instance's specified duration, but may not increase the total duration beyond the scope of the present encounter.

## Guided (Active)

Certain types of projectiles, such as guided missiles, may benefit from course alterations after being fired. If a character misses while firing a Guided weapon and if Guided is activated, he may make an attack check at the end of the round. The difficulty of the check is calculated by comparing the weapon's silhouette of 0 to the silhouette of the target, and the check's green die equal the weapon's Guided rating. If the test is successful, the weapon strikes the target, and damage is dealt normally.

Guided requires 3 advantages to activate, unless otherwise specified in the weapon's description. Remember, the Guided effect can activate on its subsequent attacks, representing the projectile continuing to track the target.

"Spoofing" is a countermeasure designed to work against a particular type of projectile, such as flares designed to draw off infrared missiles. Spoofing directly increases the defense of the target against attacks with the Guided quality.

### Silhouette Comparison

 Firing vessel has the same silhouette as target, or the silhouette is 1 larger or smaller than the target.
 Firing vessel has a silhouette 2 points larger than the target ship.
 Firing vessel has a silhouette 3 points larger than the target ship.
 Firing vessel has a silhouette 4 or more points larger than target ship.

## Knockdown (Active)

When knockdown triggers, the target is knocked prone.

Unless specified otherwise, Knockdown requires 2 advantages to trigger, plus one additional advantage per silhouette of the target beyond one.

## Inaccurate (Passive)

Inaccurate weapons are weapons of a shoddy or inferior construction, which means they are less likely to be accurate or precise. Alternatively, the weapon's nature may inhibit accuracy. Inaccurate weapons add 1 black die to the attacker's dice pool equal to their Inaccurate rating.

## Inferior (Passive)

An Inferior item is a lackluster example of its kind, representing shoddy and poor craftsmanship. An Inferior weapon generates automatic 1 disadvantage on all checks related to its use, and has its base damage decreased by one. Inferior armor has its encumbrance increased by one and its defense decreased by one. If it does not have defense, decrease its soak value by one, to a minimum of zero.

## Ion (Passive)

Ion weapons are designed to affect electrical systems instead of dealing raw damage. They are fitted to ships to knock out opponents' shields, sensors, and engines. They are shorter range than laser weapons and deal larger amounts of damage, but their damage is dealt to the target (usually a vehicle) as system strain. The damage is still reduced by armor and soak. Droids are affected by ion weapons, taking damage to their strain threshold.

## Limited Ammo (Passive)

Some weapons fire particularly large or complex projectiles that cost significant numbers of credits or are themselves a complete weapon that, once launched, is expended. A weapon with the Limited Ammo quality may be used to make a number of attacks equal to its Limited Ammo rating before it must be reloaded with a maneuver. In addition, each shot expends one of a limited number of rounds of ammo, which, once used, must be purchased or otherwise obtained before firing the weapon again. This also applies to grenades and other "one use" weapons that have the Limited Ammo 1 quality (here, the user is not "reloading" the grenade, but drawing another to use—but mechanically they are equivalent).

## Linked (Active)

Some weapons, like the laser cannons fitted to the X-wing, are designed to fire together at the same target. This increases the possibility of a hit as well as the damage dealt. When firing a linked weapon, on a successful attack, the weapon deals one hit. The wielder may spend 2 advantages to gain an additional hit, and may do so a number of times equal to the weapon's Linked rating. Additional hits from the Linked weapon being used may only be applied against the original target. Each hit deals the weapon's base damage plus the total uncanceled successes scored on the check.

## Pierce (Passive)

An attack made with this weapon ignores one point of soak for each rank of Pierce. If the weapon has more ranks of Pierce than the target's total soak, it completely ignores the target's soak. For example. Pierce 3 against a soak of 2 ignores 2 points of soak, but the extra "point" of Pierce has no further effect.

## Prepare (Passive)

Weapons with this quality require time to set up before being used. The user must perform a number of preparation maneuvers equal to the weapon's Prepare rating before making attacks with that weapon.

## Slow-Firing (Passive)

Slow-Firing weapons tend to be large, heavy, emplacement-mounted weapons like the turbolasers found on capital ships or planetary defense ion cannons. While they deal incredible damage, they need time to recharge or cool down between shots. A weapon's Slow-Firing rating dictates how quickly the weapon can be fired after an attack. For example, a heavy turbolaser with Slow-Firing 2 must wait two rounds after being fired before it can be fired again.

## Stun (Active)

A weapon with Stun deals strain to the target. When the Stun quality is activated, it inflicts strain equal to the weapon's Stun rating.

## Stun Damage (Passive)

Some weapons deal Stun damage instead of regular damage. In this case, the weapon deals damage as strain instead of wounds. This damage is still reduced by a target's soak.

A variant of this is a Stun setting. As an incidental, the wielder can choose to switch the setting of his weapon to "Stun." In this case, it does Stun damage as described above. When weapons with a Stun setting are used to deal Stun damage, their range changes to short and cannot be increased.

## Sunder (Active)

When activated, the attacker chooses one item openly wielded by the target (such as a weapon, shield, or item on a belt). That item is damaged one step: to minor if undamaged, from minor to moderate, or from moderate to major. If a weapon already suffering major damage is the target of a successful Sunder, it is destroyed.

Sunder requires 1 advantage to activate. If activated multiple times in the same attack, each activation can be applied against the same weapon, potentially taking a weapon from undamaged to destroyed in a single attack.

## Superior (Passive)

A Superior item is a sterling example of its kind, representing masterful craftsmanship. A Superior weapon generates automatic 1 advantage on all checks related to its use, and has its base damage increased by one. Superior armor has its encumbrance reduced by one and its soak value increased by one.

Weapons that possess the Superior quality, not as an Attachment or Modification, already have the damage factored into their profile. e.g. the H-7 "Equalizer" Blaster Pistol causes 7 damage with a single, uncancelled Success, not 7+1. This was confirmed by Sam Stewart on the FFG Forums when a developer was directly asked:

## Tractor (Passive)

Instead of firing searing beams of laser fire or crackling ion discharges, this weapon fires relatively harmless electromagnetic beams that ensnare ships and hold them fast in space. Tractor beams, like all weapons, are fired at their target using the appropriate skill check (generally Gunnery) with all suitable modifiers. Once the weapon hits its target, the target may not move unless its pilot makes a successful Piloting check with a difficulty equal to the tractor beam's rating. The tractor beam's rating is always noted in parentheses in the weapon's stats, next to the quality.

## Vicious (Passive)

When this weapon scores a Critical Injury or Hit, the character adds ten times the Vicious rating to the Critical roll. With Vicious 3, for example, the victim adds + 30 to his Critical Hit result.