Is it really necessary, when creating a new magic weapon, that it be based on another weapon?  Why can't I use item?  Here's why; I want a lightning launcher which does 4d6 damage.  However, in order to get that weapon to show up in the attack list, it seems I need to base it on another weapon, which uses that weapon's damage stats.  What is the point of this limitation?

The homebrewer is based on the same tool used to create official things.

Since nothing official exists matching what you intend, the homebrewer is not designed to make it.

If this is just for personal use you can make the item with just description then on your sheet create a Custom Action to add the attack/damage you want.

Could you not add a damage modifier to it for 4d6 and only use that? Then you'd be able to have the weapon show up and roll the damage with it. It's an annoying limitation though i agree

Quote from incognitomercy_ >>

Could you not add a damage modifier to it for 4d6 and only use that? Then you'd be able to have the weapon show up and roll the damage with it. It's an annoying limitation though i agree

 
That won’t actually make it rollable 

Oh right I think I'm misremembering something then my bad, I thought for sure I'd accidentally added damage once lol

t created a new attack which let me set the modifier and damage dice.  Trying to add the damage to an "item" or "armor" does nothing, nor does it work to select an existing weapon.  Any damage added to homebrew only shows up in the text.

I just would have thought that, by now, they would have figured out the benefit to allowing homebrew to be, well, homebrew.  I want lightning launcher gauntlets.

The issue now, with having to create an attack instead of an actual item is that I can't add charges to it.

:-(  I guess this is as good as it gets.

You can add “limited uses” to an action which are essentially the same as charges.