[StarWars:SAGA]Shooting in melee

[Longcat]

Hello all,
some questions regardings the usage of firearms in close combat:
1. If a character armed with a Blaster rifle (with folding stock) shoots a melee attacker adjacent to him, does he provoke an AoO from him? My D&D gut instinct says yes, but on pg 156 of the SECR (Saga Edition Core Rulebook), this isn't listed. Also, does he incur any penalties on the attack roll?
2. Pg. 155 of the SECR lists several ranged weapons (pistols, carbines and weapons with folding stock) among those that can be used to make an AoO. Now, does this mean that a character armed with a blaster carbine can make an AoO with his rifle against an enemy next to him who reloads his gun?
3. Slightly unrelated to the topic, but do big creatures actually have reach in this game?

[Nich_Critic]

Not sure about the first two, but large creatures do get reach. On one of the pages (The one about AoO's), it mentions Mace Windu provoking from a rankor he's charging due to the rancor's reach. Also, there are a couple of large races who get reach.

[NEO|Phyte]

Hello all,
some questions regardings the usage of firearms in close combat:
1. If a character armed with a Blaster rifle (with folding stock) shoots a melee attacker adjacent to him, does he provoke an AoO from him? My D&D gut instinct says yes, but on pg 156 of the SECR (Saga Edition Core Rulebook), this isn't listed. Also, does he incur any penalties on the attack roll?
2. Pg. 155 of the SECR lists several ranged weapons (pistols, carbines and weapons with folding stock) among those that can be used to make an AoO. Now, does this mean that a character armed with a blaster carbine can make an AoO with his rifle against an enemy next to him who reloads his gun?
3. Slightly unrelated to the topic, but do big creatures actually have reach in this game?

1) Ranged attacks don't provoke normally in SAGA, whether it counts as shooting into melee depends on whether you are your own ally in SAGA. Checking that now, will edit in results
2) It says you can use it for an AoO, so why shouldn't you be able to use it for an AoO?
3) Yes, large creatures get reach.
:edit: the index doesn't have "ally" in it, and I'm not seeing any clarification in the combat section, so I'm going to go with a tentative "no", based on the fact that the penalty is based on avoiding hitting your allies, and if YOU'RE the only 'ally' there, you'd have to be trying to shoot yourself.

[KillianHawkeye]

Note that using a pistol or carbine to make an AoO does not increase the range at which you are capable of doing so. AoOs are still only made against adjacent creatures.

[The J Pizzel]

Hello all,
some questions regardings the usage of firearms in close combat:
1. If a character armed with a Blaster rifle (with folding stock) shoots a melee attacker adjacent to him, does he provoke an AoO from him? My D&D gut instinct says yes, but on pg 156 of the SECR (Saga Edition Core Rulebook), this isn't listed. Also, does he incur any penalties on the attack roll?
2. Pg. 155 of the SECR lists several ranged weapons (pistols, carbines and weapons with folding stock) among those that can be used to make an AoO. Now, does this mean that a character armed with a blaster carbine can make an AoO with his rifle against an enemy next to him who reloads his gun?
3. Slightly unrelated to the topic, but do big creatures actually have reach in this game?

Before I answer your questions I must point out that your reciting page 156 slightly wrong. You're saying "weapons with a folding stoc", which is in error. The book says "weapons with a folded stock". Important difference. Concerning ranged weapons, what their implying is that the weapon must be somewhat maneuverable in tight situations. Which is why you an only make AoO with pistols, all carbines (which are relatively non cumbersome) and rifles with a folded stock, which essentially makes it resemble a heavy blaster pistol in size. Now, all that bein said:

1. Shooting a ranged weapon while be threatened does not provoke and AoO in SAGA. Furthermore, you can only use your blaster rifle if the stock is actually folded (thus making it roughly the size of a heavy pistol).
2. Well, yes, but you wrote blaster carbine, then you wrote rifle. This actually matters. If it's a carbine, yes. If it's a rifle, the stock must be folded.
3. Yes. It will be listed in their entry.

Hope this cleared some things up.

Also, the Soldier talent Gun Club (in the Brawler tree) allows a character to make melee hits with any ranged weapon, treating it as a club. In our Halo days we called it a butt-stroke. Kinda cool thematicaly.