Linking a Gizmo-created item to the same Skill as 'base' item

[barrelv]

For Iron Kingdom, you can make meckanika (magic) weapons, using the basic weapon as a starting point. Want a meckanika Greataxe, select 'greataxe' and then add the magic bits.

Well, I know how to pull stats from the weapon picked as part of the gizmo back to the Thing that holds the gizmo. BUT I'm not sure how to get the skill link off of the base weapon so that the meckanika weapon is linked to the same skill.

Ideas? or any other info I need to provide to be a little clearer

[Mathias]

Are you familiar with how we've implemented Shadowrun in Hero Lab?

It sounds like you're basing your weapons off Pathfinder/d20's method of handling customizable weapons. If I could re-do those games without losing compatibility with lots of saved characters and user-created content, I would not handle weapons the same way - I would handle them the way Shadowrun does, so my recommendation is to handle your own customizable weapons and armor the same way.

(I say this because if you were using Shadowrun's system, this question wouldn't come up).

[barrelv]

No clue on how Shadowrun handles this. Any suggestions on where I can get info on how it's handled in that module?

[Mathias]

In Shadowrun, all weapons other than natural attacks have a gizmo - any modifications of the weapon are handled within the gizmo, but the base weapon stats are always on the parent item, instead of Pathfinder's system where a generic item grabs the stats of a weapon inside its gizmo and turns itself into that weapon.

So using that method, to make a mechanika greataxe, you'd first add a normal greataxe and then customize that to add all the modifications.

Even if you don't have a license for it, install Shadowrun 5 and run it in demo mode, so that you can see what it looks like to add and customize a weapon.

[barrelv]

Okay, so what' the basic Thing setup for this? Or how does the system know the difference between a Pulsar and a customized Pulsar? I know in the method I'm using, you only call the Child on the blank meckanika stuff - what's the difference in what "Add" and "Customize" does for Shadowrun?

Also, maybe the more important question - what's the advantage of this method? I know for Shadowrun, a lot of gear is customized. In IKRPG, meckanica is somewhat rarer.

[Mathias]

To do it this way, all weapons get the same <child entity=""/> entry as a thing.

Whether add or customize is the default behavior is handled at the component level - the Gear component in Shadowrun has this:

    addbehavior="customize"

And then all gear purchase tables in Shadowrun have

component="Gear"

The first advantage I see is better handling of ammo - check out all the ammo types available in Shadowrun, each of which alters the combat stats of the weapon - this system makes it easy to show what ammo you're using right now. The other thing that makes me wish we had this in Pathfinder is the number of modifications that can be made to normal weapons in Pathfinder - none of them were in the core rulebook, but with additional books, you can put a saw edge on the back of your sword, you can have your weapon blessed as a holy symbol, you can have the hilt made with a secret compartment and several other modifications. Also, in Pathfinder, the spell "Masterwork Transformation" allows you to take a normal weapon and turn it into a masterwork weapon, something that did not exist back when the weapon system in d20 was originally added. So now, instead of just modifying the weapon they already have to make it masterwork when that spell is cast, users have to delete and re-purchase that item.

I think it's also more intuitive to users to add a weapon and then modify it than to add a generic weapon that you then turn into a specific weapon. We get at least one bug report a week from people who don't notice the "-Custom/Magic Weapon-" item or don't realize that's what they're looking for and ask how they can create a masterwork weapon or add a material to a weapon.

[barrelv]

Okay, I'm going to stop on Weapons right now and try replacing my existing solution for Armor with this method. if it works, I'll carry it forward to weapons.

[barrelv]

well that was shockingly easy - I've got to touch up a few minor things, like giving the ability to custom-name Meckanika from the form, but that'll be minor.

[barrelv]

okay, somehow I've pissed it off. And I'm really confused, because I haven't done anything involving the panels, but this is the error message I'm getting:

"One or more tab panels have been assigned identical 'order' and name"

[Mathias]

I'd do a search of your entire data set for

<panel

And check the order="" that's assigned to each.