Boostable Charges

[Doug Limmer]

First off, just to make sure I'm not completely off-base:

A character buys a 10d6 EB with 10 boostable charges. To fire one shot, he spends a charge. If he spends 5 charges, he can do 14d6 damage with his EB (+4d6 for the extra 20 active points from the extra charges).

 

A character buys a 10d6 EB with armor piercing (+1/2) and 10 boostable charges. If he spends 5 charges, he gets 20 extra active points in his attack, but since the attack has armor piercing, he does 12.5d6 AP damage with his EB. (2.5d6 costs 13 points, +6 for AP. This assumes half-dice are allowable, and cost 3 base points.)

 

Now the question: if a character buys a 10d6 EB with 30 boostable charges (+1/2), and uses 5 charges, does he do 12.5d6 damage, or 14d6 damage? Does he need to account for the charges advantage in the active points gained from boostable charges?

 

The more I think about it, the more unsure I am as to what the answer should be. I think I believe the answer is 'yes'; that he does 12.5d6 damage.

[Steve Long]

First off, just to make sure I'm not completely off-base:

A character buys a 10d6 EB with 10 boostable charges. To fire one shot, he spends a charge. If he spends 5 charges, he can do 14d6 damage with his EB (+4d6 for the extra 20 active points from the extra charges).

 

Each extra Charge spent adds +1d6, correct.

 

A character buys a 10d6 EB with armor piercing (+1/2) and 10 boostable charges. If he spends 5 charges, he gets 20 extra active points in his attack, but since the attack has armor piercing, he does 12.5d6 AP damage with his EB. (2.5d6 costs 13 points, +6 for AP. This assumes half-dice are allowable, and cost 3 base points.)

 

OK, for an EB AP, it takes 7.5 points to add 1d6, so each 1d6 of damage equals 1.5 DCs -- thus, each 3 DCs adds +2d6. So by spending +3 Charges, the character can do 12d6 damage. The remaining 1 DC could theoretically get another two-thirds of a die, but I'll leave it up to the GM to decide whether to allow the character to go up to 12.5d6 or make him stick with 12d6.

 

Now the question: if a character buys a 10d6 EB with 30 boostable charges (+1/2), and uses 5 charges, does he do 12.5d6 damage, or 14d6 damage? Does he need to account for the charges advantage in the active points gained from boostable charges?

 

Yes, he needs to account for the Charges Advantage. The GM is of course free to rule otherwise if he feels it would be appropriate to do so.