Hard Target: Statting The Minigun

[gewing]

This is pointless

in champions, sorry hero 5th, firing 100 bulits at a target per second dosent increase your chances of hitting the target ( oddly enought every military in the world disagrees with this base assumption ) -2 -4 -6 in fact your last bullit couldnt hit the earth if you aimed ( as well as most of the others.)

so what the point of stating a real weapon that, is made redundant by game mechanics.

bad mood, but hey its me

One way to achieve a more reasonable result would be to make it say 5 linked double autofire attacks. Then some kind of an ocv bonus, but...

[Black Lotus]

This is pointless

in champions, sorry hero 5th, firing 100 bulits at a target per second dosent increase your chances of hitting the target ( oddly enought every military in the world disagrees with this base assumption ) -2 -4 -6 in fact your last bullit couldnt hit the earth if you aimed ( as well as most of the others.)

so what the point of stating a real weapon that, is made redundant by game mechanics.

bad mood, but hey its me

It's not the real world that's at fault, it's just the way the Hero System works. The minigun exists in real life, and is used on helicopters (sometimes manned directly by a human being from a side mount), and it is a highly accurate weapon. If almost all the bullets missed, the military wouldn't use the weapon.

Now, if something exists in real life, you should be able to stat it in HERO. So, admittedly, 100 bullets per second IS redundant in HERO -- and does not accurately represent the weapon's performance. Therefore, I worked around the problem by applying the same principle used in Energy Blast: a single attack can be a stream of many particles. Therefore, I decided that I could represent groups of 5 bullets as a 4d6 RKA, and apply Reduced Penetration. I still made the Autofire 10 to show the fast RoF of this weapon.

Saying we shouldn't stat something because it can't be done in the most obvious way is simply silly. I stat what I want, and I try to be inventive and creative, while still adhering to the rules and reality as closely as reaonably possible.

Does that help you understand a little better?

[Kristopher]

Explained that way, the Reduced Penetration makes more sense.

It's like a pair of 2d6 "bullets" with every 4d6 hit, in terms of the BODY done.

[Black Lotus]

Explained that way, the Reduced Penetration makes more sense.

It's like a pair of 2d6 "bullets" with every 4d6 hit, in terms of the BODY done.

The reason I made it 2d6/ 2d6 instead of 1d6/ 1d6/ 1d6/ 1d6 (with a "2x Reduced penetration") (I assume the fifth bullet makes up for the Area of Effect) was because someone mentioned that miniguns are good at finding the "chinks" in armor due to their high rate of fire. So it's really a volley of five bullets, minus one, with only a single application of Reduced Penetration applied to the volley itself.

[NuSoardGraphite]

The recoil on those things are beyond belief you know, 240 lbs according to one source (and they may have low balled it). Makes it uncontrollable as a hand held weapon.

But it is fun...

How to do the damage is the thing.

Consider the following:

Barrel One: 2d6 RKA, Autofire 10.
Barrels two-five (virtual barrels to keep the rof correct, I think the original had six?): 2d6 RKA, linked to Barrel One

That would chain saw stuff nicely, but keep it from penetrating stuff it really shouldn't.

NICE!!!

I'm going to use this method for Gatling cannons from now on (either Linked or multiple weapons used in a MPA)

[Black Lotus]

NICE!!!

I'm going to use this method for Gatling cannons from now on (either Linked or multiple weapons used in a MPA)

You know... maybe I SHOULD change to "virtual" barrels. Though if I do, the damage for each will almost certainly be less than 2d6 per barrel (we're talking about 5.56mm or, possibly, 7.62mm ammunition).

[Black Lotus]

Although by the same token, although the barrels do rotate, the ONLY reason they rotate is to keep them all cool at that insane RoF. Only the topmost barrel on the wheel is firing at any given time (or lowermost, I'm not sure which). The actual action, chamber and firing mechanism are all the same piece of equipment.

[gewing]

The reason I made it 2d6/ 2d6 instead of 1d6/ 1d6/ 1d6/ 1d6 (with a "2x Reduced penetration") (I assume the fifth bullet makes up for the Area of Effect) was because someone mentioned that miniguns are good at finding the "chinks" in armor due to their high rate of fire. So it's really a volley of five bullets, minus one, with only a single application of Reduced Penetration applied to the volley itself.

Not to mention the 5.56 SHOULD do more than 1d6 per bullet.

Now I still want to see what a 3 barrel 12 gauge gattling gun would do...

[gewing]

Although by the same token, although the barrels do rotate, the ONLY reason they rotate is to keep them all cool at that insane RoF. Only the topmost barrel on the wheel is firing at any given time (or lowermost, I'm not sure which). The actual action, chamber and firing mechanism are all the same piece of equipment.

THere is another reason. By splitting the loading and extracting process up, it is far gentler on cases and less likely to suffer various ruptures, etc.

Anthony Williams books "Rapid Fire" and his new one with Max popeneker on Assault rifles are very good.

I would like to be able to afford his books on Aerial guns too.

[pinecone]

I don't think there is any need to add in OCV levels....you already have AE, so you reduce all targets to DCV 3 and thats really boss, even vs normals. This write up as is can hit the Flash 90%+ unless he dives for cover...so adding to the OCV just seems rude.... Just think of the devistasion you can inflict with Autofire skills....

[Black Lotus]

I don't think there is any need to add in OCV levels....you already have AE, so you reduce all targets to DCV 3 and thats really boss, even vs normals. This write up as is can hit the Flash 90%+ unless he dives for cover...so adding to the OCV just seems rude.... Just think of the devistasion you can inflict with Autofire skills....

True, that Area of Effect 1 Hex does seem to make up for that, and the fact that I leave a teensy bit of damage out of each "package" of five bullets helps ameliorate the power of the Area of Effect (and explain how possibly two targets in the same hex could be hit).

[ghost-angel]

...so adding to the OCV just seems rude....

yeah, but anyone pulling this weapon out isn't exactly looking to be polite.

[Black Lotus]

yeah, but anyone pulling this weapon out isn't exactly looking to be polite.

Although I know if it were me, I'd say this in my best John Wayne voice:

"I'm here to kick @$$ and chew bubble gum. Hey! Looks like I am FRESH out of gum."

[pinecone]

yeah, but anyone pulling this weapon out isn't exactly looking to be polite.

"I say there fellow, I suggest you give way, as I, am comming through.."