Combining Feats: Ultimate Assassin?

[archhealer]

Ok, one of my players just pulled this on me... because of what he had to do to get it I'm almost tempted to allow it, but it still seems a little bit over the top. He's a level 12 character, 8 marine/ 4 merc, and he has the following feats (Among others): Dumb Luck, Sneak Attack, Sniper. Now... There are a number of ways these can be abused. Sniper and Sneak attack, however, I'm tempted to say can't be used together, because they are slightly different actions. However, Dumb Luck could be used with either one to make it really, really nasty. Anybody else run into this?

 

[Falkayn]

The Mercenary's Sneak Attack is specifically stated to only operate with ranged weapons within 9m ... which is WAY too close to be using the Sniper skill. So you can forget about merging those two.

Dumb Luck is really nasty - but is a once a week effect. Personally I'd be careful about that as players have a habit of hand-waving weeks away - especially when travelling in space! I'd prefer to keep it as once per week, but add an additional once per game session limit as well (to prevent the jump to planet, assassinate target, jumpt to planet, assassinate target, etc. routine).

Face it, with 12 levels of Merc/Marine the guy is a major combat veteran, probably special forces through and through, and should be a d*mn good sniper if that's what he wants - especially if his PMOS skill is Hide.

BTW, has he got Wpn Spec in his sniper rifle? That would be the crowning glory on this sort of PC.

IMHO, this is a fine combat character, but it leaves you as a GM with one of two options. Either you make the game combat heavy, in which case he will be a fine addition to the team (who will all probably be similiar in background), or he will quickly find his character is so much dead wood in most adventures - the Jayne of the bunch (to reference Firefly).

Now if it is the second case, but this player has a fine way with characterisation, then they should be fine (Jayne-on!). However, if they struggle to find ways of expressing their character normally, then they will need a task to do to get involved in the game - and that probably means non-combat skills. So you might want to just make sure he has some other useful skill/talent, or at least an interesting personality.

 

[Rossoneill]

If you allow this combo remember NPC'S can do it too .
Remind your players that it can and will be used against them .

 

[archhealer]

Ah, yes, NPCs too... good point. As for the 9m rule, yeah, I know that, and so does he (She, player is a girl), but he does have a very good Hide skill (Total +12 bonus), so could easily be near enough to do both without the target knowing it. There's no 'minimum range' for sniper.

But yeah, i guess it won't be so bad. And since she gave him pretty good drive skills too, with a little T/Mech thrown in for good measure, he's pretty much the party wheelman as well. Guess it's a go for the badass sniper!

 

[Falkayn]

She? Hmmm ... nice to see our femail gamers playing a hardass PC for a change (most I know take 'Princess Leia' types).

 

[archhealer]

Actually, of the 6 players in my main group I'm putting together, three of them are femal, and only one is playing a prissy noble type. Figures it's my girlfriend, but still. The other two, one's playing the above mentioned, the other's playing a drinking, smoking, swearing gear-head. Female. Like Kaylie from Firefly, if Kaylie were a biker ho.

 

[Gnusam Netor]

Originally posted by Archhealer:
Actually, of the 6 players in my main group I'm putting together, three of them are femal, and only one is playing a prissy noble type. Figures it's my girlfriend, but still. The other two, one's playing the above mentioned, the other's playing a drinking, smoking, swearing gear-head. Female. Like Kaylie from Firefly, if Kaylie were a biker ho.

I like it, can I join your group?

BTW, Femal? Is that female and feral combined?

(pushing spam down the list thats all, move on)