Many items are distinguished by their special qualities. These keywords describe a passive or active effect that the equipment (usually weapons) has available to it. They may sometimes have a rating, which is noted on the profile and scales the effect in some way. Typically, active qualities require two advantage results on a successful attack (for weapons) to activate.
More information is available in the Star Wars: Edge of the Empire (pages 154-157), Age of Rebellion (pages 168-171), and Force and Destiny (page 161-164) Core Rulebooks.
Name | Activation | Effect |
---|---|---|
Accurate X | Passive | Add X boost dice to the combat check. |
Auto-fire | Active | Increase combat check difficulty by one. Deal an additional hit to target or another target in range. If attacking multiple targets, the initial target must be the one with highest difficulty and defense. May be activated multiple times. May activate Critical Hits multiple times, up to the number of hits scored. May choose not to use Auto-fire quality before assembling dice pool and not take penalty. |
Blast X | Active | If the attack is successful, spend two advantages to deal X damage to each character engaged with the target (plus one per success result). If the attack misses, may also trigger Blast by spending three advantages to deal X damage to the target and each character engaged with them. Starship scale weapons hit their primary target and every additional target within Short range. |
Breach X | Passive | Ignore X armor of the target (or X times 10 soak). |
Burn X | Active | Target suffers the weapon's base damage for X rounds, at the start of their turn. |
Concussive X | Passive | Target is staggered for X rounds. |
Cortosis | Passive | Weapon ignores the Sunder quality. Armour ignores the Breach and Pierce qualities. |
Cumbersome X | Passive | Increase the difficulty of all checks using the item by X minus the user's Brawn. |
Defensive X | Passive | Increase melee defense by X. |
Deflection X | Passive | Increase ranged defense by X. |
Disorient X | Active | Target is disoriented for X rounds. |
Ensnare X | Active | Target is immobilized for X rounds. They may attempt a Hard difficulty Athletics check as an action to break free. |
Guided X | Active | Requires three advantages to activate. If the attack misses, may make a check at the end of the round with X ability dice and a difficulty calculated by comparing Silhouette 0 to the target's Silhouette. If successful, the weapon hits the target. |
Knockdown | Active | Requires an additional advantage to activate per Silhouette of the target beyond 1. Target is knocked prone. |
Inaccurate X | Passive | Add X setback dice to the combat check. |
Inferior | Passive | Weapons add a threat result to all checks and decrease their base damage by 1. Armor increases its encumbrance by 1 and decreases its soak value by 1. |
Ion | Passive | Damage is dealt to strain threshold, after reducing by armor and soak. Weapon only effects electronics. |
Limited Ammo X | Passive | The weapon runs out of ammunition after X attacks. |
Linked X | Active | Deal an additional hit to the target. May be activated X times. |
Pierce X | Passive | Ignore X soak of the target. |
Prepare X | Passive | The user must perform X maneuvers to prepare the weapon before they make an attack. |
Slow-firing X | Passive | Must wait X rounds after firing before it can be fired again. |
Stun X | Active | The target suffers X strain (ignoring soak). |
Stun Damage | Passive | Damage is dealt to strain threshold, after reducing by armour and soak. |
Stun Setting | Active | May be activated as an incidental. Damage is dealt to strain threshold, after reducing by armour and soak. The maximum range of the attack becomes short and cannot be increased. |
Sunder | Active | Requires one advantage to activate. An item openly wielded by the target is damaged one step. May be activated multiple times. |
Superior | Passive | Weapons add an advantage result to all checks and increase their base damage by 1. Armor decreases its encumbrance by 1 and increases its soak value by 1. |
Tractor X | Passive | If the attack is successful, the target may not use starship maneuvers unless the pilot makes a successful Piloting check against X difficulty dice as an action to break free. |
Unwieldy X | Passive | Increase the difficulty of all checks using the item by X minus the user's Agility. |
Vicious X | Passive | On a Critical Hit, add X times 10 to the roll |
Accurate (Passive)[]
For each level of this trait, the attacker adds a boost die to [their] attack dice pools while using this weapon.
Auto-fire (Active)[]
[T]he attacker must increase the difficulty of the attack check by one difficulty die. The user may choose not to use the Auto-fire quality in a weapon; in this case [they] cannot trigger the quality but also does not suffer the aforementioned penalty.
If the attack hits, the attacker can trigger Auto-fire by spend two advantage results. Auto-fire can be triggered multiple times. Each time the attacker triggers Auto-fire, 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 results on the check.
These additional hits can be allocated to the original target, or to other targets within range of the weapon. If the attacker wishes to hit multiple targets, [they] must decide to do so before making the check. Furthermore, if [they] wish to hit multiple targets, [their] 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 Injury must be applied to the target of the specific hit.
Blast (Active)[]
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 result 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 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 three advantage results. 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)[]
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)[]
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 difficulty Coordination check on hard surfaces such as the hall of a ship, or an Easy difficulty 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 little the victim can do.
Concussive (Active)[]
The target is staggered for a number of rounds equal to the weapon's Concussive rating. A staggered target cannot perform actions.
Cortosis (Passive)[]
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)[]
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, [they] must increase the difficulty of all checks made while using the weapon by one.
Defensive (Passive)[]
A character wielding a weapon with the Defensive quality increases [their] melee defense by the weapon's Defensive rating.
Deflection (Passive)[]
An item with the Deflection quality increases the wearer's ranged defense by an amount equal to its Deflection rating.
Disorient (Active)[]
When Disorient is triggered, the target is disoriented for a number of rounds equal to the weapon's Disorient rating. (A disoriented target adds a setback die to all skill checks [they] perform.)
Ensnare (Active)[]
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 difficulty Athletics check as [their] action on [their] turn to break free from the effect. (An immobilized target cannot perform maneuvers.)
Guided (Active)[]
If a character misses while firing a Guided weapon and if Guided is activated, [they] 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; the check's ability dice is equal to the weapon's Guided rating. If the check is successful, the weapon strikes the target, and damage is dealt normally.
Guided requires three advantage results 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.
Knockdown (Active)[]
When Knockdown triggers, the target is knocked prone.
Unless specified otherwise, Knockdown requires two advantage results to trigger, plus one additional advantage per silhouette of the target beyond one.
Inaccurate (Passive)[]
Inaccurate weapons add a setback die to the attacker's dice pool equal to their Inaccurate rating.
Inferior (Passive)[]
An Inferior weapon generates [an] automatic threat result on all checks related to its use, and its base damage is 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)[]
[D]amage 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)[]
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—mechanically, they are equivalent).
Linked (Active)[]
When firing a linked weapon, on a successful attack, the weapon deals one hit. The wielder may spend two advantage results 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 may only be applied against the original target. Each hit deals the weapon's base damage plus the total uncanceled success results 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)[]
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)[]
A weapon's Slow-Firing rating dictates how soon the weapon can be fired again after attacking. For example, a heavy turbolaser with Slow-Firing 2 must wait two rounds after being fired before it can be fired again.
Stun (Active)[]
When the Stun quality is activated, it inflicts strain equal to the weapon's Stun rating.
Stun damage (Passive)[]
[T]he weapon deals damage to strain instead of wounds. This damage is still reduced by a target's soak.
Stun Setting (Active)[]
As an incidental, the wielder can choose to switch the setting of [their] weapon to "Stun." In this case, it does Stun damage as described previously. 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 moderate to major. If a weapon already suffering major damage is the target of a successful Sunder, it is destroyed.
Sunder requires one advantage result 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 weapon generates [an] automatic advantage result on all checks related to its use, and its base damage is increased by one. Superior armor has its encumbrance reduced by one and its soak value increased by one.
Tractor (Passive)[]
Once the weapon its 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.
Unwieldy (Passive)[]
To wield an Unwieldy weapon properly, the character needs an Agility characteristic equal to or greater than the weapon's Unwieldy rating. For each point of Agility by which the character is deficient, [they] must increase the difficulty of all checks made while using the weapon by one.
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 [their] Critical Injury or Hit result.