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Old 11-10-2019, 08:50 PM   #1
Calvin
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
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Default Combining the Muzzle Weight and Compensator?

So the Compensator reduces the ST requirement of a gun by 1 and gives +1 to skill when firing at RoF 3+. (I always think of this as adding an extra entry to the top of the RoF table) It also gives a +2 to Hearing and a +2 to Vision in the dark to locate the shooter. The shooter also gets -2 to avoid being dazzled. It then goes on to say it can be combined with the Muzzle Weight.

The Muzzle Weight gets the same bonus when firing at RoF 3+, and instead of making the gun's muzzle flash more obvious and inconvenient it makes Bulk worse. There's also the comment about it being one of the things that could contribute to Weapon Bonding a firearm.

Both also obviously add a little weight.

My question is, while you're allowed to have both since there's nothing that would stop you from putting them both on a gun, does it have any actual positive effect? Obviously if you have both, you have the downsides from both, but is there any upside? To me at least the phrase "...but the skill bonus can't exceed +1" seems to suggest that there's more to it, otherwise there'd be some caveat about the bonuses not stacking or some other language that would make it clearer that there's really no point to having both. I'd guess that having both, instead of increasing the bonus, would simply move it to RoF 2+ instead of 3+, but even that doesn't make much sense.

Is this just an oddly worded section, or is there any mechanical reason to have both?


EDIT: It especially seems odd since the Muzzle Port and Compensator are explicitly prohibited from being put on the same weapon, when in reality you certainly could combine them. There just wouldn't be any point. Which adds to my confusion about the muzzle devices since they're explicitly prohibiting combinations that would either give no benefits (Muzzle Port and Compensator) or invalidate each other (Muzzle Port and Suppressor) but not the combination of Compensator and Muzzle Weight, which at first glance seems like it should fall into the "possible in reality but pointless in-game" class that is otherwise prohibited.

Last edited by Calvin; 11-10-2019 at 09:09 PM.
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Old 11-10-2019, 09:58 PM   #2
evileeyore
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Default Re: Combining the Muzzle Weight and Compensator?

You want to throw some page numbers and maybe what book your dragging this from so those of us without Photographic Memory don't have to trawl through the three possible books you're referring to?

(I mean, could also be Pyramid articles in which case, uh-uhn, I ain't scanning that many articles...)
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Old 11-10-2019, 10:05 PM   #3
Calvin
 
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Default Re: Combining the Muzzle Weight and Compensator?

Tactical Shooting 76, or Gun Fu 41.
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Old 11-11-2019, 04:55 AM   #4
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Default Re: Combining the Muzzle Weight and Compensator?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Calvin View Post
Obviously if you have both, you have the downsides from both, but is there any upside?
All three benefits: -1 ST requirement, +1 to skill, and the ability to buy Weapon Bond.

Quote:
Is this just an oddly worded section...
No, it's a very straight forward wording.

Quote:
...or is there any mechanical reason to have both?
There are 3 separate benefits only 1 of which overlaps.

Quote:
EDIT: It especially seems odd since the Muzzle Port and Compensator are explicitly prohibited from being put on the same weapon, when in reality you certainly could combine them.
You could... but as the only thing that will stack are the penalties I see no point.

And the problem with 'putting both on' is that Muzzle Ports are 'end of barrel' modifications, which is where the threading for the Compensator needs to go... if you move Muzzle ports up the barrel you're only increasing the loss of velocity with no appreciable gains.
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Old 11-11-2019, 05:15 AM   #5
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Default Re: Combining the Muzzle Weight and Compensator?

Quote:
So the Compensator reduces the ST requirement of a gun by 1 and gives +1 to skill when firing at RoF 3+. (I always think of this as adding an extra entry to the top of the RoF table)
It's like Tracer Eyes in an item. Fire at least 3 shots, you get +1 to hit. Slightly increases both hit chance and number of shots on target. It stacks with RoF bonuses for 5 shots and more fully.
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Old 11-11-2019, 12:16 PM   #6
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Default Re: Combining the Muzzle Weight and Compensator?

It's debatable whether the benefits should stack or even exist beyond 'excuse to buy weapon bond' (many things that people do in the real world to tune weapon performance are, while realistic, either extremely situational or provide benefits that are smaller than the granularity of the game system), but there's no obvious reason you can't put them both on the same weapon.
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Old 11-11-2019, 02:28 PM   #7
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Default Re: Combining the Muzzle Weight and Compensator?

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Originally Posted by Anthony View Post
It's debatable whether the benefits should stack or even exist beyond 'excuse to buy weapon bond' (many things that people do in the real world to tune weapon performance are, while realistic, either extremely situational or provide benefits that are smaller than the granularity of the game system), but there's no obvious reason you can't put them both on the same weapon.
I guess I see what you and evileyore are saying, though the muzzle weight allowing you to buy a weapon bond is a lot less impressive than it seems since there are many other ways to excuse the purchase.
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