Another one: beam weapon

[Doc]

Hi,

 

I'm still experiencing some trouble to figure out how to build complex weapons.

 

This one is a large beam canon (much like the ones used in FF VII against theplanet's Weapons). There is one detail bugging me:

 

I want the beam to be a large (megascale) linear zone of effect. I want it to be able to continue in straight line ad infinitum as long as it doesn't it something. Moreover, I'd like it to be able to pass through objects it destroyes and continue to the next one, then doing what damages are left after substracting the body points from the last destroyed object...

 

I don't know if I'm really clear about what I have in mind... It's like a beam that can go through a wall, just like a character experiencing knockback:

 

global damages - hit structure's body = remaining damages to the

next structure

then: remaining damages - next hit structures'body = remaining etc.

 

I don't prepare this for a hard science campaign, but it could be interesting to include a lost of damages over distance, as energy is lost along the way. Moreover, this could define the effective range limit.

 

Any idea?

 

Thanks.

[Opal]

Re: Another one: beam weapon

 

I'm not sure it wouldn't work that way by F/X. Hero doesn't go into the physics of attacks that discharge all thier energy against the first thing they hit vs those that 'blow through.' I think, it doesn't generally worry about the latter kind. When the AE line hits something smaller than it's crossection, it'd continue on unabatted, anyway. When it hits something larger, it'd probably be OK, as a matter of F/X to say that it only bores a hole defined by it's AE trough the target, but continues on it's way, rather than blowing up the whole thing and stopping.

[GamePhil]

Re: Another one: beam weapon

 

Well, if you must purchase it (I'm inclined to go with Opal's suggestion), I suppose you could simply buy enough Megascaled Area of Effect to reach the practical end of the universe, and then a Limitation that has it only continuing until it runs out of Body.

 

You could also create a new Area Of Effect Advantage, much like Trail, that allows the blast to continue on until it has used up all of its original damage roll.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Another one: beam weapon

 

This sounds like an AOE Line attack; the purpose of which is that it tac-nukes everything in that line, which is great if that's what you're going for. As far as the unlimited distance and duration? Eh... you can give it Lingering, or a Continuing Charge, I suppose.

[GamePhil]

Re: Another one: beam weapon

 

This sounds like an AOE Line attack; the purpose of which is that it tac-nukes everything in that line' date='[/i'] which is great if that's what you're going for. As far as the unlimited distance and duration? Eh... you can give it Lingering, or a Continuing Charge, I suppose.

 

Oo, oo! That's good!

 

Give it enough Area of Effect to get the beam size you want, then put Mobile Area on it, Continuous, and Uncontrolled (ends when damage is used up?). Then, possibly a Limitation for it being reduced in damage as it blows through things.

 

I have problems with this build (yeah, I know...) because it is likely to be overly expensive (especially if you start with a very large attack) and is quote complex. This is for an effect that I'm not seeing a matching gain for having: how often are your targets going to be conveniently in a line like that? However, if no one has to pay for the ship with points, that might not be a concern. In that case, the write-up only defines how the ray works, rather than dictates its cost. Looking at some of the official ship write ups, something like that could work for you.

[Doc]

Re: Another one: beam weapon

 

However' date=' if no one has to pay for the ship with points, that might not be a concern. In that case, the write-up only defines how the ray works, rather than dictates its cost. [/quote']

 

Well, that's exactly what's going on...

 

Give it enough Area of Effect to get the beam size you want' date=' then put Mobile Area on it, Continuous, and Uncontrolled (ends when damage is used up?). Then, possibly a Limitation for it being reduced in damage as it blows through things. [/quote']

 

That's what I'll try, even though it's not totally to my liking (hey, thanks anyway!). You're welcomed to offer other suggestions.

 

Looking at some of the official ship write ups' date=' something like that could work for you.[/quote']

 

In Star Hero? If yes, I didn't read it yet. Do you still think of it as a usefull tool for this even if I tell you that my canon won't be on a spaceship?

 

Thank you, guys.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Another one: beam weapon

 

Ah, here we are:

 

65 Not Quite Wave Motion Cannon: Killing Attack - Ranged 4d6, Continuous (+1), Area Of Effect (196608" Line; +4) (360 Active Points); OAF Bulky (-1 1/2), Extra Time (1 Minute, To Charge & Fire; -1 1/2), Crew-Served (6 people; -3/4), No Range (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4)

 

Since it's an AOE Line attack, it simply wastes everything in its path, and goes for about 250 miles. Will it travel endlessly? No, it's an Energy beam and it makes sense (to me) that it eventually disperses. If you want it to travel farther, that's a simple matter of extending the Line. But The swift math I did was to double the hexes to get meters, and then convert that to miles. But you know. Season to taste.

[archermoo]

Re: Another one: beam weapon

 

AoE isn't really what you are looking for. In an AoE attack, all things in the attack take damage at the same time.

 

Actually, what you are looking at sounds like just the normal way attacks work in Hero, with the exception of the range. It goes until it strikes something, which it then damages. If the damage exceeds the Def + Body of whatever it hits, the remaining damage can go through to whatever is on the other side. And so on, until it runs out of damage.

 

Then you just need to figure out how much damage you want it to do.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Another one: beam weapon

 

Yes, I know; there are also blow-through rules in Dark Champions. I just wanted to build a Wave Motion Cannon.

[Doc]

Re: Another one: beam weapon

 

What are those rules, please, 'cause Archermoo got it right into what I was looking for, and much simpler! Repped.

 

Thank you, guys. Have fun.

[archermoo]

Re: Another one: beam weapon

 

What are those rules, please, 'cause Archermoo got it right into what I was looking for, and much simpler! Repped.

 

Thank you, guys. Have fun.

 

I'd never really looked at the blowthrough rules in Dark Champs. I was just talking about the normal Hero rules. Which is to say that you treat intervening objects as if they were a Force Wall with Def equal to the Def + Body of the object. In an nutshell, the blowthrough rules say that if you do more than twice as much damage as the Def + Body of an object it doesn't reduce the damage of the attack at all. Full specific rules start on p192 of DC. As a note, the Blowthrogh rules in DC have a Warning sign on them. They can really overpower things if you aren't careful.

[Doc]

Re: Another one: beam weapon

 

Ha sorry, I had missed the "Dark" in "Dark Champions", wich is why I asked for the rules; I thought they were related to the old Champions game.

 

Anyway, yhanks a lot!