As part of rebooting the exploration campaign to T5.09, I have created a "player's handbook" for my daughter. Attached is the ranged combat example that I included. There are a couple of house rules, clearly called out, but other than that I attempted to use the RAW.
I appreciate any comments that folks care to provide, and corrections where I've misinterpreted the RAW or overlooked critical items.
Sorry for the wall of text, I can't seem to attach files.
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Ingrid Starhopper, Field Agent of the Imperial Ministry of Justice, has tracked a dangerous criminal to Hale, an Affiliated TL-8 world.
Ingrid is STR-6, END-8, DEX-9, Fighter-4, Beams-2, and carries an Ultimate Snub Laser Pistol-15, (Burn-6, Pen-2). She has Tactics-1. She wears partial police armor, torso only, with AV 28. It also has other armor values, which do not apply for this example. Her “Shooting Number” is 15.
Her opponent, Dexter Sinister, is a desperate man. Armed with a Standard Heavy Gauss Rifle-13 (Bullet-7) and wearing a suit of stolen battle dress (AV=45), he is a formidable opponent. He is DEX-7 and Fighter-1, Slug Thrower-2. His shooting number is 10.
However, Ingrid has appealed to the local authorities, and they have provided a law enforcement officer armed with an Advanced Very Heavy Rifle (Man Portable) (Bullet-9), one Max Integrity by name. Max, regrettably, is unarmored, but is concealed behind a parapet on a roof 150 meters to Dexter’s rear. He is DEX-7 but has spent a great deal of time training with his firearm, and carries Fighter-5, Slug Thrower-2. He is in radio contact with Ingrid. His shooting number is 14.
Ingrid faces Dexter at 20 meters distance, on a dusty street. Both roll for Initiative (2D < C4 or C5 + Leader page 182). Ingrid rolls 6, a success. Dexter rolls 7, also a success, but Ingrid’s roll was lower, and her team wins the Initiative.
Faced with a monster gun at close range, she hits the dirt. Her size is now -2 (page 180 and others.) Max spends this combat round aiming at Dexter’s back.
Dexter selects full auto (Gauss weapons have full auto as a standard feature page 220). House Rule. Firing on full auto imposes a penalty of +2D on the ‘to hit” roll. Dexter’s roll is as follows. Range of 20 meters is range band 1 for a base roll of 1D. (page 189) 1D + 2D <= (7+1+2) + (5-1-2) . The “-2” in the (Size – Range) parenthesis represents a prone position. The “+2D” in the difficulty roll represents the house rule when firing full auto. Dexter’s effective task to hit is 5D <= 12. He rolls 1+2+2+3+4=12, a fortunate hit. He will roll location and damage three times, allowing for the full auto. House Rule. Laying prone modifies the location flux role by -3. Consulting page 187, Dexter rolls locations of 8, 10, and 11, modified to -2, 0, and 1, for hits in the right arm, torso, and torso respectively.
Ingrid’s armor has no value on the right arm—the full 7D will penetrate. Dexter rolls a handful of dice and sees 1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, and 6. All penetrate, and Ingrid assigns them as follows, using the full die to characteristics convention. 6 and 3 to DEX, reducing it to 0 and wasting the extra point. 3, 3, and 1 to END, reducing it to 2. 3 and 2 to STR, reducing it to 1.
I am unable to locate anywhere in the rules where it states the effects, during combat, of reducing one or more characteristics to zero. So, house rule. One characteristic to zero results in 1D turns of stun. At the end of the stun period, that characteristic is reset to 1.
Dexter rolls the first torso hit and sees 1, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, and 6. Ingrid’s armor stops 28 points, which is greater than the 25 points of damage. No damage applies to Ingrid.
Dexter rolls the second torso hit and sees 1, 2, 4, 4, 5, 6, and 6. This is 28 points, and Ingrid’s armor is reduced to zero in the “torso” hit location for the balance of combat. As it’s torso only, that makes it effectively useless. Ingrid rolls 1D for stun. She will be out of touch for 2 turns.
Ingrid lies limp in the dust, bleeding heavily from her left arm.
Second combat round. Reroll initiative? Page 182 seems to indicate so.
Max rolls 3, a success. He has no Leader mods. Dexter rolls 9, a failure.
Dexter does not “hit the dirt”. He wants to fire at the earliest opportunity.
Max is at a range of 150 meters, range band 3, therefore difficulty = 3D. He spent the first round of combat preparing aimed fire. 3D <= (7+5+2) + (5-3). Additionally, Max is behind a parapet. He specifies that he is under Cover = 4 (page 180). This gives him an additional -2 penalty to hit for a net target of 14. He rolls a 14, success, and designates “torso” as the hit location. Max rolls 9 dice for damage: 1, 1, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6, and 6. With a total of 39, Max has not penetrated the armor. He elects to use the minimum damage rule on page 212, and rolls -2 for flux. His unsuccessful round ricochets off Dexter’s armor. Max has done no damage, but has certainly gained Dexter’s undivided attention.
However, based on the knockdown rule on page 176, Max forces Dexter to roll for knockdown. (The hits inflicted are 37 (=39-2 from flux) which is greater than half AV and greater than Dexter’s DEX.) Dexter rolls 1D-2 and gets zero, and remains on his feet.
Dexter chooses full auto once more. At a range of 3, the base difficulty is 3D, but the house rule adds +2D for difficulty based on full auto. His full calculation is 5D <= 10 + (5-3-4). No roll is necessary—Max’s careful choice of cover has reduced his apparent size to 5-3-4, less than zero, and he cannot be attacked.
Dexter begins to regret certain life choices.
I appreciate any comments that folks care to provide, and corrections where I've misinterpreted the RAW or overlooked critical items.
Sorry for the wall of text, I can't seem to attach files.
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Ingrid Starhopper, Field Agent of the Imperial Ministry of Justice, has tracked a dangerous criminal to Hale, an Affiliated TL-8 world.
Ingrid is STR-6, END-8, DEX-9, Fighter-4, Beams-2, and carries an Ultimate Snub Laser Pistol-15, (Burn-6, Pen-2). She has Tactics-1. She wears partial police armor, torso only, with AV 28. It also has other armor values, which do not apply for this example. Her “Shooting Number” is 15.
Her opponent, Dexter Sinister, is a desperate man. Armed with a Standard Heavy Gauss Rifle-13 (Bullet-7) and wearing a suit of stolen battle dress (AV=45), he is a formidable opponent. He is DEX-7 and Fighter-1, Slug Thrower-2. His shooting number is 10.
However, Ingrid has appealed to the local authorities, and they have provided a law enforcement officer armed with an Advanced Very Heavy Rifle (Man Portable) (Bullet-9), one Max Integrity by name. Max, regrettably, is unarmored, but is concealed behind a parapet on a roof 150 meters to Dexter’s rear. He is DEX-7 but has spent a great deal of time training with his firearm, and carries Fighter-5, Slug Thrower-2. He is in radio contact with Ingrid. His shooting number is 14.
Ingrid faces Dexter at 20 meters distance, on a dusty street. Both roll for Initiative (2D < C4 or C5 + Leader page 182). Ingrid rolls 6, a success. Dexter rolls 7, also a success, but Ingrid’s roll was lower, and her team wins the Initiative.
Faced with a monster gun at close range, she hits the dirt. Her size is now -2 (page 180 and others.) Max spends this combat round aiming at Dexter’s back.
Dexter selects full auto (Gauss weapons have full auto as a standard feature page 220). House Rule. Firing on full auto imposes a penalty of +2D on the ‘to hit” roll. Dexter’s roll is as follows. Range of 20 meters is range band 1 for a base roll of 1D. (page 189) 1D + 2D <= (7+1+2) + (5-1-2) . The “-2” in the (Size – Range) parenthesis represents a prone position. The “+2D” in the difficulty roll represents the house rule when firing full auto. Dexter’s effective task to hit is 5D <= 12. He rolls 1+2+2+3+4=12, a fortunate hit. He will roll location and damage three times, allowing for the full auto. House Rule. Laying prone modifies the location flux role by -3. Consulting page 187, Dexter rolls locations of 8, 10, and 11, modified to -2, 0, and 1, for hits in the right arm, torso, and torso respectively.
Ingrid’s armor has no value on the right arm—the full 7D will penetrate. Dexter rolls a handful of dice and sees 1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, and 6. All penetrate, and Ingrid assigns them as follows, using the full die to characteristics convention. 6 and 3 to DEX, reducing it to 0 and wasting the extra point. 3, 3, and 1 to END, reducing it to 2. 3 and 2 to STR, reducing it to 1.
I am unable to locate anywhere in the rules where it states the effects, during combat, of reducing one or more characteristics to zero. So, house rule. One characteristic to zero results in 1D turns of stun. At the end of the stun period, that characteristic is reset to 1.
Dexter rolls the first torso hit and sees 1, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, and 6. Ingrid’s armor stops 28 points, which is greater than the 25 points of damage. No damage applies to Ingrid.
Dexter rolls the second torso hit and sees 1, 2, 4, 4, 5, 6, and 6. This is 28 points, and Ingrid’s armor is reduced to zero in the “torso” hit location for the balance of combat. As it’s torso only, that makes it effectively useless. Ingrid rolls 1D for stun. She will be out of touch for 2 turns.
Ingrid lies limp in the dust, bleeding heavily from her left arm.
Second combat round. Reroll initiative? Page 182 seems to indicate so.
Max rolls 3, a success. He has no Leader mods. Dexter rolls 9, a failure.
Dexter does not “hit the dirt”. He wants to fire at the earliest opportunity.
Max is at a range of 150 meters, range band 3, therefore difficulty = 3D. He spent the first round of combat preparing aimed fire. 3D <= (7+5+2) + (5-3). Additionally, Max is behind a parapet. He specifies that he is under Cover = 4 (page 180). This gives him an additional -2 penalty to hit for a net target of 14. He rolls a 14, success, and designates “torso” as the hit location. Max rolls 9 dice for damage: 1, 1, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6, and 6. With a total of 39, Max has not penetrated the armor. He elects to use the minimum damage rule on page 212, and rolls -2 for flux. His unsuccessful round ricochets off Dexter’s armor. Max has done no damage, but has certainly gained Dexter’s undivided attention.
However, based on the knockdown rule on page 176, Max forces Dexter to roll for knockdown. (The hits inflicted are 37 (=39-2 from flux) which is greater than half AV and greater than Dexter’s DEX.) Dexter rolls 1D-2 and gets zero, and remains on his feet.
Dexter chooses full auto once more. At a range of 3, the base difficulty is 3D, but the house rule adds +2D for difficulty based on full auto. His full calculation is 5D <= 10 + (5-3-4). No roll is necessary—Max’s careful choice of cover has reduced his apparent size to 5-3-4, less than zero, and he cannot be attacked.
Dexter begins to regret certain life choices.
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