Quick question on Star Wars: Thermal detonator

[Badger]

Anybody every built it in HERO terms. Specifically how much pop (dice) should I give it?

 

Note: I am thinking of giving it a 6d6, (while giving your average grenade 4d6) Are these too powerful?

[Inu]

Re: Quick question on Star Wars: Thermal detonator

 

Anybody every built it in HERO terms. Specifically how much pop (dice) should I give it?

 

Note: I am thinking of giving it a 6d6, (while giving your average grenade 4d6) Are these too powerful?

Since we have no idea how powerful a thermal detonator is (would it simply have killed a handful of people in the room and injured others? Would it have nuked the entire palace?) we have no way of knowing if the numbers are right for the movie version. What it depends on is the role you want it to have in your game. Is it meant to be a grenade-like weapon (as in the Dark Forces games), or a rare demolition-type device, rather than a direct weapon? If it's the former, I'd recommend relatively low damage, so as not to allow it to take over combat, as well as building in time delay and things like that. If it's the latter, make it huge damage, but give it a huge time delay (as in the movie) and perhaps give it a chance to go off prematurely if thrown.

 

For rules: 6d6 sounds too big for the first option, possibly about right for the second. =)

[Badger]

Re: Quick question on Star Wars: Thermal detonator

 

The only thing I have found on it. Was it was it had the potential to take out everything in a small building. And everybody in Jabba's throne room in ROTJ seemed to duck for cover. So if we could get an idea on how big the throne room was. And in any case if I remember in the (old) Star Wars game it was twice as powerful as the grenades in the game.

 

 

Anyhow, while I am at it, how powerful is a grenade supposed to be (could have been in some HERO product, just not in any I have, if so I apologize for asking)

[Inu]

Re: Quick question on Star Wars: Thermal detonator

 

The only thing I have found on it. Was it was it had the potential to take out everything in a small building. And everybody in Jabba's throne room in ROTJ seemed to duck for cover. So if we could get an idea on how big the throne room was. And in any case if I remember in the (old) Star Wars game it was twice as powerful as the grenades in the game.

Everyone diving for cover is a good indication that it's more powerful than a simple hand grenade. Doesn't indicate anything more' date=' though -- they could have been diving for cover because it would incinerate everything, or because it [i']might[/i] kill or injure them if they were in the open. The threat level is present, but unverified as to its precise nature. If you want it to be powerful enough to blow up a building, 6d6 sounds about right? Perhaps smaller, but with Penetrating or somesuch.

 

Anyhow, while I am at it, how powerful is a grenade supposed to be (could have been in some HERO product, just not in any I have, if so I apologize for asking)

I seem to remember 2d6K. That sounds about right to me, anyway. The reports I've heard of grenades being used in the field vary wildly. Some fairly reliable stories talk about grenades going off only a few feet away from someone who's lying down, and doing no real damage -- having presented a small target area, no serious shrapnel hit him. If anyone else has better knowledge, can they chime in? But for my own knowledge, I'd be happy with 2d6k. =) Perhaps give bonus damage if the grenade goes off right next to someone. And if you're going for max realism, give it a delay of a few segments.

[Tiree]

Re: Quick question on Star Wars: Thermal detonator

 

I'll have to dig out that old Adventure Journal where a Bounty Hunter used Thermal Detonators as props. She would take out the core to scare people, or possibly not.

 

But if IIRC it basically just eliminated everything in its sphere. I see it as kind of like how the Terminator comes back in time... in a giant sphere that disintegrates everything.

 

If that is the case, I would go with Plot Device or twice the damage of a lightsaber in the game with area of effect (depending on how you do lightsabers). Or 4d6RKA Area of Affect, AVLD Force Fields Does Body

[Outsider]

Re: Quick question on Star Wars: Thermal detonator

 

IIRC, standard HERO fragmentation grenades are 2D6 K, while concussion grenades are 6D6 N. Both with Explosion (+1/2) of course.

 

2D6K is the easiest way to model a grenade in my opinion, but a more realistic way would be to have the grenade act as an autofire attack that has a chance to hit everything in an area. Assign its attack an OCV, and every 2 that a target is hit by means they picked up another significant fragment. Apply a disadvantage "Wildly Inaccurate at Range (-1 OCV per hex range from the center of the explosion)" to represent distance from the explosion being a good thing for the person attacked. Then disallow DEX based DCV from having any effect. A normal sized person would be DCV 0, or DCV 3 if they 'dodge', which, in this case, would represent hitting the dirt.

 

That's a lot of stuff to keep track of and roll though, so just a plain 2D6K Explosion is probably preferable. The problem is that one is basically 'safe' from a 2D6K explosion once its lost 4-5 DCs, whereas real grenades are still quite dangerous at that range if you happen to pick up a fragment.

[Nevenall]

Re: Quick question on Star Wars: Thermal detonator

 

My version was 6d6K, twice the dice of my version of a standard SW grenade.

"Twice the dice is twice as nice."

[SCUBA Hero]

Re: Quick question on Star Wars: Thermal detonator

 

2D6K is the easiest way to model a grenade in my opinion' date=' but a more realistic way would be to have the grenade act as an autofire attack that has a chance to hit everything in an area. Assign its attack an OCV, and every 2 that a target is hit by means they picked up another significant fragment. Apply a disadvantage "Wildly Inaccurate at Range (-1 OCV per hex range from the center of the explosion)" to represent distance from the explosion being a good thing for the person attacked. Then disallow DEX based DCV from having any effect. A normal sized person would be DCV 0, or DCV 3 if they 'dodge', which, in this case, would represent hitting the dirt.[/quote']Danger International did grenades very similarly to what you're describing here. From time to time I've tried to model the effects in Hero5 terms, but never quite made a build I was satisfied with.

[McCoy]

Re: Quick question on Star Wars: Thermal detonator

 

Given the word "Thermal," I would assume that it works against ED rather than PD. 6d6 RKA, range limited by STR, vs ED, AE radius, no KB. Just a sphere of intense heat.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: Quick question on Star Wars: Thermal detonator

 

Given the word "Thermal' date='" I would assume that it works against ED rather than PD. 6d6 RKA, range limited by STR, vs ED, AE radius, no KB. Just a sphere of intense heat.[/quote']

 

Given the word "thermal" I was worried it was going to make my long winter underwear explode.

 

 

I blame my new meds...

[Badger]

Re: Quick question on Star Wars: Thermal detonator

 

I kind of like McCoy's idea. Never thought of doing it that way. Might have to think on that. Might explain reactions of Jabba's cronies. You definitely would want to get behind something that might protect you from a ball of heat.

[wcw43921]

Re: Quick question on Star Wars: Thermal detonator

 

Well, in the Star Wars novel Shadows Of The Empire, Lando Calrissian uses one--that's one--thermal detonator to destroy Prince Xizor's skyscraper headquarters. The device is described as making "a small fusion reaction," which in this case erases the lower levels of the building, which causes the rest of it to collapse.

 

It was also described as unstable, if memory serves.

 

So McCoy is on the right track, but I would say it's more powerful--8d6 RKA vs ED, AEx2 Radius, range limited by STR, no KB, with a Misfire Trigger--the condition for Misfire being rough handling, such as a jarring impact.

 

If you want to be really nasty--make it a 10d6 RKA.

 

I'd also give it a bonus to any PRE attacks based on intimidation--

 

: "LOOK OUT! He's holding a thermal detonator!"

 

 

Did I miss anything?

[Badger]

Re: Quick question on Star Wars: Thermal detonator

 

Well, I read up on it at wikipedia. They are supposed to have a blast radius of up to 20 meters. Though it mentioned stormtroopers as using smaller ones (5 meters).

 

Note: Obviously, from Expanded Universe, this information is.

[Kaeto]

Re: Quick question on Star Wars: Thermal detonator

 

Well also in Empire supposedly those TIE bombers that were trying to flush out the Falcon were using Thermal Detonators as the bombs.

[Inu]

Re: Quick question on Star Wars: Thermal detonator

 

Well, I read up on it at wikipedia. They are supposed to have a blast radius of up to 20 meters. Though it mentioned stormtroopers as using smaller ones (5 meters).

 

Note: Obviously, from Expanded Universe, this information is.

Yeah. Basically, you have to decide what you want in your game. do you want your game to look like the movies? In that case, make thermal detonators powerful but unreliable and liable to blow up in your face if you use them as actual weapons. If you want it to look more like modern combat, introduce thermal detonators as viable grenadelike weapons. As GM, it's your call.

 

My SW games use the original trilogy as the only true canon; I try to get as close them as possible, and import EU only as absolutely necessary to fill out gaps. But then, I'm a nazi like that. ^_-

 

So as I said, figure out the role you want thermal detonators to play (demolitions, grenades, whatever) and stat them appropriately. The basic idea is not to be constrained by canon, but to pull from it what you want. Just because the films or EU play it one way doesn't mean you should do it that way or another way or anything.