Weapon AP/RP calculations (5th ed) Help!

[HaukeaCanada]

**I apologize if this has been answered elsewhere; my Search-Fu is really weak.**

 

So, been trying to calculate AP/RP costs for firearms for my Fallout Conversion. Plugging everything into a spreadsheet, and as long as I don't use OCV/Range Mod values, eveything seems to come out peachy (read: I can get it to come within 1 pt of the Real Cost when testing guns from the books).

 

I'm wondering if I've got all the modifiers right? I know AP from the damage is correct, +1 STUN is a +.25, Charges>16 calculates correctly, any other mods (AF for now) I add manually. Gives me AP = Damage AP * (1+sum of adv), round normally. Limitations, base is -1.75 (OAF, Real, Beam, No KB), again charges calculate correctly, so does STR Min, others (again, just 2H for now). Gives me Real Cost = AP(rounded?) / (1+sum of lim), round normally.

 

This, like I said gets me equal to, or usually 1-2 point less than, AP a/o RC. (Which at this point I think might just be rounding and I can live with being 1 point off). Is it a rounding error on my part? Am I missing something?

 

It's when I start applying OCV and Range Mod that things seem to fall apart. Do I add the Base active cost (5 & 3 per point respectively) to the AC of the weapon, then calculate the separate real cost for the OCV/RMod (typically 5 or 3 / 2.25) and add that to the RC of the weapon? Do I add the RC of the OCV/RMod to the Active cost and the real cost? Do I round the real cost before adding?

 

And if the OCV/RMod is negative, do I subtract the full values from the AP/RC, or just apply the Side Effect (-1/2) limitation from the book?

[dsatow]

Are you using 6th ed or 5th ed?

[HaukeaCanada]

5th ed. Thought I put it in the topic line.

[dsatow]

3 hours ago, HaukeaCanada said:

5th ed. Thought I put it in the topic line.

Sorry missed that.  I'll assume that its all 5th and not a 5th to 6th change.

 

I'm out of town and don't have easy access to my books to check, but I would assume that the points used in OCV and Range Mods would be in the AC of the gun.  However, I know as a fact that the different authors use different methods of calculation of the AP/RP of their write ups.  Errors do exist but I would in general advise you to ignore them and build the equipment the way you want to do it.  It really doesn't matter how you or the HERO guys built the device in HERO terms, just as long as you are consistent and it does what you want it to do for your campaign and your players.

[Cantriped]

The point totals from the 5th Ed books are generally accurate... however there are numerous inconsistancies in how bonuses to OCV and RMod were typically built, and how it was recommended that they be built. Plus there are components that are simply illegal. You can find the rules I am refering to in Dark Champions 5th 200, and Fantasy Hero 5th 177.

 

For example both Dark Champions and Fantasy Hero 5th suggest placing Required Hands and Real Weapon CSLs/PSLs representing bonuses on weapons (Required Hands is blatently inapplicable as the power lacks a STR Minimum and isn't an Attack Power).

 

Regarding calculating the costs by hand: Bonuses to OCV/RMod are seperate components of the compound power. As such their APs and RPs are calculated independantly. The tables in the book are supposed to include the sum total of it's point costs. However in practice it is common for Reach to be miscalculated (and given an RP value equal to its AP value) or even ommited from the A/R Cost field entirely.

Also note that OCV/RMod penalties are built as a single side effect (With a flat value regardless of the degree of penalty.)