Location: Book 3, page 255, Table 4 and page 248 (note on strength)
Type of error: Possible logic error, possibly not errata but clarification needed.
Description of issue:
As I read the rules, Beast Strength is generated by rolling a number of dice equal to strength (e.g. Weak = 1D, Strong = 4D etc.) and multiplying this by the Size of the beast (page 255, Book 3). For example, a Strong Herbivore of Size 4 might roll 4D for a roll of 12, and multiply this by 4 (for Size) for a total strength of 48. The consequence of this is that the Beast takes 48 points of damage (i.e. C1 = Strength = 48 and is the only C1 C2 C3 stat) – but if it counts as an NPC for combat purposes, then we abstract this to 10 points of damage from any one source is enough to take it out of combat (needs clarification).
A further consequence is that in melee combat, the beast rolls 2D < 48 to hit (i.e. 100% chance – still 100% chance after subtracting maximum human strength of 15 from the target number), and therefore deals 48 damage (=C1 = Strength, page 101 Book 3), and since it has horns, this delivers damage type of “cut”, which means the character loses 48 damage per round after that (page 211, Book 1).
I am developing BeastMaker tables for TravellerWorlds, and beast strength / weapon results are pretty much instant kill for an unarmoured human, even for very small beasts.
Am I missing something about the way Beast strength is generated? A typical human only has Strength = 7, but a beast that is human sized (Size 5) with 2D strength has typically Strength = 35 (Size 5 x 2D roll of 7). It makes sense that encountered Beasts need more hits because we do not generate C2 or C3 for them; but the consequence for how we treat strength in melee is to make beasts very fatal.
This makes sense in conjunction with the idea that the only encounters listed are significant ones – we aren’t going to list every squirrel or tree as an encounter. But significant encounters can be story driven and even in a battle situation don't have to be fatal to humans in one hit.
Strength isn’t listed in this way for the example Beasts in the Bestiary (p. 262ff) - but the table still illustrates this problem. The Anola (of The Traveller Adventure fame) has a size of Typical with a size of 0.75m - (size 4) and a Strength of Standard (3). This would mean a strength of 3D x 4 = a range of 12 to 72 with an average of 40. If an anola (about the size and weight of a large cat) decided to attack an unarmoured human, the attack would generally be fatal within one combat round.
A further consequence in Melee is that since the target number is attacker’s strength minus defender’s strength, a human-sized Beast has average Strength 35 (size 5 times 2D). Let’s say the Human is unusually strong with Strength 15. This makes the target number for the Beast 2D < 20 – a 100% chance. The Human, on the other hand, has 2D < -20; even piling in all 15 of their Dexterity points (let’s assume maximum possible Dexterity), the Human gets 2D < -5. A human with maximum Strength and Dexterity of 15 with Fighting-8 must roll 2D < 3 to land a blow and could only do this by piling in all of their Dexterity in that round, draining the pool. This is also why I am unsure that I am reading the rules correctly.
Reported by:
Jonathan Sherlock
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