Limited by "club" weapon rules?

[Rebar]

I never quite know how to handle club attacks.

I've got a character with a 20 STR and an 80pt. Gadget pool SFX "junk of opportunity". He picks up an I-beam to use as a club.

Is he limited to 8D6 (4D6 STR +4D6 for use of a club)?
Or can he use his full gadget pool and wield a 16D6 club (assuming the I-beam can take it)?

[bigbywolfe]

If it's using a VPP I'd say it's a "Power" and not a "really" a "club," so you could use the entire value of the pool, but not add STR to it.

On the other hand, I highly doubt I'd ever allow "any large chunk of metal to use as a club" as part of a "gadget pool". I mean, how is that a gadget?

[Rebar]

On the other hand, I highly doubt I'd ever allow "any large chunk of metal to use as a club" as part of a "gadget pool". I mean, how is that a gadget?

It's not a gadget; it's a piece of junk.

Gadget pool is the mechanic, i.e. how the power is built. The powers allowed in the pool are determined by the SFX, which is "collected junk".

[AmadanNaBriona]

First off...
The "Club Weapon" rules don't have anything to do with what you wanna know, just to be pedantic...

That said, AFAIK, and I freely admit I might have missed something along the way...
Short form: Yeah, they add. 16d6
long form: With objects of opportunity, you might be limited to (DEF+BODY)D6 HA, but yeah, you'll still add your STR. If I was GM, I'd let you use up to double the BODY, but the item, in question would be taking damage and break PDQ.

When dealing with an unadvantaged HA, in a Superheroic game usually the HA just adds to STR Damange. Done.
When you begin factoring in Martial Arts, Advantaged HA's, and/or Heroic level games things begin to get tricky/wonky, but in any case if the HA is more Active Points than the STR you want to add, generally you're golden. The Damage Adding rules are more geared to gimping adding lots of STR to a small HA, not adding a little STR to a big HA.

[Greywind]

Going by that, then you wouldn't be able to use a car or truck until it qualified as "junk"?

[prestidigitator]

As stated above, HAs generally aren't limited to doubling the character's Str damage. They just add. I think there's an (optional?) exception for heroic games, but there weapons usually have Str Mins anyway, which will probably serve much the same purpose as the doubling rule. Hmm. Or maybe not, since you'll lose 1 DC per -5 Str (or fraction thereof) below the Str Min rather than 2 DCs. But then, you only get +1 DC for every 5 Str above the Str Min too, not +2 DCs. And there is also the OCV penalty that helps balance things when the character is below the Str Min.

Of course, I'm not real happy about how Str Mins and the pre-made weapons tables work now myself. But I'm not going to go down that path just now. Heh heh.

NOTE: There is another thread around here somewhere where we talked about picking up objects and using them as weapons. Can't remember what it was called, but it's probably on the first page, or maybe two....

[Sean Waters]

The character can do 20d6 (4d6 STR + 16d6 HtH Attack).

A focus or sfx generally does not take damage if used as an attack, so whether the I-beam can 'take it' is immaterial, unless you have other limitations too. It is not like using STR to pick up and bash someone with an I-beam: the I-beam is a condition precedent to doing the damage, nothing else.

A 20 STR character can swing an I-beam? Hmm.

If I was GMing, we'd be having a friendly little chat aboutt his particular build, in all likelihood :sneaky:

[Rebar]

A 20 STR character can swing an I beam? Hmm.
Good point. I guess I should have put the brakes on that right away, pointing out he wasn't strong enough to lift it.

It is a "junk pool", so what he might have done is fiddle with some bits until he had an I-beam launcher. Same effect, except
- it'd require a skill roll to build
- it'd take him a phase to set up
- it'd be a ranged attack
- there would be limited "consumables"




If I was GMing, we'd be having a friendly little chat aboutt his particular build, in all likelihood :sneaky:
Yes, but if my players saw me arguing with myself, they'd start backing away slowly. ;) It's a junior player, so he comes up with the plan, I build it.

[Matt the Bruins]

I can see a 20STR character being able to lift an I-beam of limited length, but using it as a weapon would probably require the target to stand still while the character slowly hauls it over and drops it on his or her toes.

[Sean Waters]

......Yes, but if my players saw me arguing with myself, they'd start backing away slowly. ;) It's a junior player, so he comes up with the plan, I build it.

Agreed, but they are much less likely to want to upset the dangerous nutter by disagreeing with them :) Works for me :D

One of the first times I played Champions a friend of mine INSISTED on playing a 100 STR character. Ho boy. At least we didnt need to worry about combats dragging on. Definitely a one-hit-wonder.

[bigbywolfe]

Good point. I guess I should have put the brakes on that right away, pointing out he wasn't strong enough to lift it.

It is a "junk pool", so what he might have done is fiddle with some bits until he had an I-beam launcher. Same effect, except
- it'd require a skill roll to build
- it'd take him a phase to set up
- it'd be a ranged attack
- there would be limited "consumables"



Yes, but if my players saw me arguing with myself, they'd start backing away slowly. ;) It's a junior player, so he comes up with the plan, I build it.

But then adding STR isn't an issue anyway.