Star Wars: Fire Linked Weapons

[DrSkull]

I've just got the Star Wars book, revised edition, and am a bit confused about Fire-Linked weapons.

If a ship description says: Laser Cannons (2 fire linked) and lists the damage as 5d10x2,

Does that mean:

A. Each can fire independently for 5d10x2 damage, but can be fired together as a single attack for 6d10x2

B. Each can fire independently for 5d10x2 damage, but can be fired together as a single attack that does 6d10x2 plus 6d10x2

C. Something else

 

[Ausderop]

I'm fairly sure that it's A because the standard Firespray-31 has two non-linked Blaster Cannons that deal 5d10x2, while the Slave I has two linked Blaster Cannons that are listed as dealing the same amount of damage, so I presume that one could choose to link them for more damage. I'm not entirely sure, though.

 

[Jack Haggerty]

I've just got the Star Wars book, revised edition, and am a bit confused about Fire-Linked weapons.

If a ship description says: Laser Cannons (2 fire linked) and lists the damage as 5d10x2,

Does that mean:

A. Each can fire independently for 5d10x2 damage, but can be fired together as a single attack for 6d10x2

B. Each can fire independently for 5d10x2 damage, but can be fired together as a single attack that does 6d10x2 plus 6d10x2

C. Something else

C. Something else...

When you firelink a pair of weapons together, you add one dice. You can firelink more than weapons together... Every time you double the weapons, you gain another dice of damage.

For Example:

A normal, single Laser Cannon does 4d10x2 damage (see YT-1300 Transport on p. 230 of the RCRB).

Two Laser Cannons firelinked together do 5d10x2 damage (see TIE Fighter on p. 228).

Four Laser Cannons firelinked together do 6d10x2 damage (see X-Wing Fighter on p. 227.

If there was a ship with 8 firelinked Laser Cannons, it would do 7d10x2 damage.

So, if the weapons weren't fire linked together, you'd get 2 (or 4) attacks at 4d10x2 (assuming you had attacks or people to shoot them all). Fire linking allows a single person to shoot multiple weapons as a single attack for more damage.

Also, when constructing a ship, fire linked weapons cost less and take up less space, than adding multiple separate weapons.

Make sense?

 

[Barcode]

Starships of the Galaxy sets the damage of a single Blaster Cannon at 4d10x2. If you have two fire-linked you fire them both at the same time at the same target, with one to-hit roll. If you hit, you do one die more of damage, or 5d10x2.

I can only assume that the stats for the base Firespray are in error. Either they are fire-linked with the stated damage, or they are not fire-linked and their damage is 4d10x2 each. Editing errors in the stat blocks in the RCRB are far from unprecedented.

DrSkull, absent any editing errors, the damage in the stat block is what you roll. In your example, for Laser Cannons (2 fire-linked), you roll one attack, and if you hit, you roll 5d10, then double it. The fire-linking is already factored into the stat block. I don't believe you can unlink weapons on the fly. They are either configured to aim and fire together, or they aren't.