I am trying to figure out why in the WITH A BANG, OR A WHIMPER the synth striders Institute Laser Gun has 6CD Vicious Energy damage, Burst, Fire Rate 3, Range M but in inventory it lists no mods of any kind and for the life of me I can’t find any mods that fit. What am I missing.
On page 102 you have a list of mods which you can apply to the institute laser. Photon agitator gives you +1d6 dam and vicious, improved barrel next +1d6 damage, beam focuser increase your range by 1. So with listed mods you can have 5d6 dam Vicious, Burst, FR=3 , Range M. Still don’t know how they get 6d6dam. Maybe these synth’s have a perk with +1d6 dam 
Thank you for your reply that’s were I am stuck that last 1d6
Where NPC damage doesn’t 100% line up with the damage of their listed weapons, assume the NPC has the equivalent of a perk granting that effect, or some weapon mod not (currently) available to the PCs.
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That’s a great rule 
If we assume the NPC has some hidden ability, no issues arise. If we assume they have some not (currently) available mod, then it very likely becomes available if/when the PCs loot the body of the NPC using the weapon.
The other option is “Oops, that’s an error. Here’s the correct value, and it will be adjusted in future releases.”
I just look at like any other TTGRP. The GM or an author of a scenario has every right to scale up or down the diffuculty of an npc or boss, no explanation needed.
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if you look at the rules for leveling NPCs their damage increases independent of equipment. It also suggests moding weapons, but that is more a loot issue. As GM I would mod the weapons to fit a theme rather than to exactly match the damage the NPC does. For example the bad guy does 8CD with his combat rifle. You could give it the advanced receiver (possibly unbalancing depending on level, always 8CD + FR 3) or you could give it an automatic receiver + large mag + muzzle break (4CD + FR 6, unreliable). For the later when the party defeats him they find a pile of spent ammo and very few rounds remaining.