Legendsmiths

Re: Sawed Off Shotguns

Don't know that I can agree with modification by gauge. My 12g and .410 are the same length' date=' and nearly the same weight. For that matter, the 12g can be disassembled much easier, and to a smaller size. There's also some shotguns that merely switch out parts so that the gun stays the same size, but the bore changes. I would base the concealment modifier strictly on total length, as both stock and barrel can be shortened.[/quote']

 

Good to know. I think that's fair. So how about 4g-16g = +7. 20g-.410 = +6.

Re: Sawed Off Shotguns

Then change it to AoE: Line.

 

150cm is 60 Inches across, that's a 5 foot spread.

But it still doesn't hit everyone in the line, and that's at 37m. Most combats at the heroic level occur at much less than that range, typically 16m or less. At that range the spread is even narrower. AE is just not appropriate. The spread does increase the chance to hit, especially smaller targets, but other than 2 targets standing adjacent it is very unlikely you will hit more than one target.

Re: Sawed Off Shotguns

Kind of why I chose NonSelective - because there IS a spread, unlike a bullet or slug which is a single chunk of metal going down range.

 

But, whatever suits your game.

Agreed, but it does allow you to attack multiple targets in that area. You could add an additional limitation (maybe -1/4?):

Must attack targets in order and no further targets struck once a hit is scored.

That would give you the AE but still restrict it to hitting a single target. That might be a way to go.

Re: Sawed Off Shotguns

Well then, let's remodel the thing from the ground up; or give it a shot. (ha!)

...

That sound like a better Sawed Off?

I don't think AF is the right approach either. I also don't think Reduced Pen is really about modelling specifically 2 pellet hits. I think Reduced Pen is fine, cinematically.

I am firmly against AE: Cone.

Ballistics show there isn't a difference in spread between a sawed-off and a regular shotgun. It's purely about maneuverability and concealment, at the expense of aimed accuracy.

I'm against AE for any Shotgun - the point of the shot is to improve your chances of hitting, not hitting an area per se. When you look at the size of the shot pattern it doesn't approach a 1m radius area (IIRC from my research before I came up with my approach).

One possibility would be to build it as a multiple power attack, which is the most realistic. Decide how much each pellet will do and then build that many attacks. Considering a 2 1/2d6K - 8 DC. If there are 8 pellets, then you could simply do 1 DC per pellet - I don't know as that works however as birdshot is 25 pellets or more. Perhaps birdshot makes it normal damage.

I'm more inclined to stay with a dramatic interpretation and go with this:

slug = full DC, no reduced pen, better range, +1 STUNx

combat shot = full DC, reduced pen, reduced by range, 50m range, +1 STUNx

bird shot = 1/2 DC, reduced pen, reduced by range, 50m range, +3 STUNx

So, at 8 DC a slug would be 2 1/2d6K and average 9x4 = 36 STUN. Combat shot would be 2x1d6+1K and average 9x4 = 36 STUN. Bird shot would be 2x1/2d6K and average 4x6 = 24 STUN.

Since with shot you only have a 50m range, that's why I added no range mod. Then open choke is +2 OCV, half choke is +1 OCV but keep full damage out to 16m, and full choke is +0 OCV and keep full damage out to 32m.

Re: Realistic rates of fire, and Extremely high ROF weaponry

The advantage is that there are more targets that can be hit. So, imagine the survivors are holed up in a conference room at the end of a hall (2m wide). The guy with the SAW (AF15) fills the hallway with lead, as does the chick with the submachinegun (AF5). A zombie hoard makes it way into the hall 6m from the conference room door.

Every 2m step they take (1m radius "zone") EACH zombie can be attacked once, so a total of 6 times (3 times from the SAW and 3 times from the sub) per zombie. Since the max number of hits in a segment is equal to the AF value, and the zombies are likely to cover that distance in a single segment, that's all the chance these survivors are going to get. If there are 10 zombies, the sub can at most hit 5 of them (AF5) while the SAW can hit all of them, possibly multiple times (an attack per 2m step). It's also possible that the first few zombies take multiple hits from the SAW before they go down.

Since it is one line of fire (-1 OCV) and Suppression Fire (-2 OCV), the survivor manning the SAW is a vet (OCV 6) the chance of hitting a zombie (DCV 2 - shamblers) is going to be 11 +6 -3 -2 =12-; let's say the sub user is OCV 4 so the prob there is a cool 50% (10-). Doing the hard maths, the likelihood that a zombie will make it to the door without taking at least 1 hit from the SAW is about 1.5%, and 42% of them will take 3 hits. So, using that as a base, 4 of them are hit 3 times = 12 hits. 12% of them are hit 3 times from the sub, or 1. That leave 3 rounds from the SAW and 2 rounds from the sub with only 5 dead zombies. That's of course one possibility from the rolling - it could be more evenly distributed, but either way the SAW is far more effective at suppressing the hallway than the sub.

Re: Realistic rates of fire, and Extremely high ROF weaponry

200 shots in 1 turn of sustained fire = AF16.67, or let's just say AF15. The only way you are going to fire that many rounds is using the Suppression Fire rules (6E2 89). This means you will expend AF15 every segment. Anything that enters the area that you cover will be subject to attack.

If you chose to pick three 2m wide lines of fire, that would give you a total penalty of -5 (-1 per line of fire, -2 for Suppression Fire).

However, you would get to make an attack roll per "step" (per 1m radius area) moved through. If the target did not move perpendicular, which would result in 3 attack rolls, they may suffer even more attacks. The maximum number of hits per segment is equal to the number of rounds fired.

So, you are correct to a point, but your calculation for AF needs to be based upon sustained CONSTANT fire which is not reflected in simply making an attack roll based on speed.

RoF 600/min = 120/turn = AF10 (M60)

RoF 900/min = 180/turn = AF15 (M249 "SAW")

RoF 225/min = 45/turn = AF3-ish (M242 "Bushmaster" - yeah man, but its 25mm!)

RoF 3000/min = 600/turn = AF50 (M134 "Minigun")

That all seems to jive. Theoretically each weapon could be built with some PSLs to offset the penalties associated with Autofire. The Minigun, for example, might grant a +6 bonus to offset Autofire Penalties due to the number of barrels (i.e. 6). This would allow it to cover a larger area of fire than the standard penalties would allow: you could then cover with the Suppression Fire maneuver 6 2m wide lanes of fire at only a -2 penalty. It would be foolish to enter those areas, which is appropriate. It is highly unlikely that you would be able to cross all 6 lanes and not sustain a single hit.

Alternatively, you could make the Minigun AF10 (roughly 1/6 of the actual RoF) and make it AE: Line.

I hope this helps.

Re: Sawed Off Shotguns

I don't know about the range impact, but the concealment modifier to be sure (thanks for the nod to my build). For those not wanting to follow the link, here's my summary of the key distinguishing features:

The primary advantage of sawed-off shotguns is their maneuverability and concealability. The spread pattern does not change all that much. The Concealment modifier for hiding a Shotgun is +4 to +7, depending on its size. Using the standard gauges above, a 4g would be +7, 10-12g +6, 16-20g +5, and 28g-.410 +4. Converting such a weapon to a sawed-off would reduce this modifier. The reduced size allows their use in close combat (even while grabbed) without penalty, much like a pistol.

• Conealment Modifier drops by 2
  
• STR Min drops by 1
  
• Mass drops by 25%
  
• Remove the limitation Required Hands: Two-Handed (-½)
  
• Weapon size is now "short" (allows use during Grab)
  
• OCV bonus is reduced to +1 with no choke control
  

Otherwise, they are a Basic Shotgun: +2 OCV, +1 STUNx, No Range Modifier, Reduced by Range, Reduced Penetration, Limited Range (40m), Requires Hands: Two-Handed, STR Minimum, Real Weapon

Hida - I too would like to use the HSEG as is, just to keep things simple, but the whole AE thing just doesn't jive. Since there isn't an HD prefab anyway, and I have to build one for my players, I build it for me the way I think best represents reality.

This gives Shotguns a nice niche, but you always have to have the right tool for the job.

Re: Shadowrun?

I'm not a particular fan of anime but I really enjoyed Susano's builds - you can use all the cybernetics, equipment, vehicles and stuff without the setting and it would work perfectly. If you use the stock Hero Grimoire then your magic is pretty much done.

Re: Sawed Off Shotguns

This is what I do - I'm pretty critical about how firearms work in my games and I agree that AE for shotguns is a bit too cinematic.

http://www.legendsmiths.com/rule-options/shotguns

This approach I think really speaks to the niche that shotguns occupy. They are effective at close range and are more likely to result in a hit at that range than pistols or rifles. However, they are limited and there are times when a pistol or a rifle is a better way to go.

Re: Shadowrun?

I'd echo Kazei Five. It's got all the heavy lifting done and then some. Play it straight or add magic as desired.

Re: Anyone use DM's Toolkit for Hero Fantasy?

Was looking into it. Did you make any custom templates? I've found tools like this, while cool, aren't all that useful as compared to a good text editor. I may be biased however since I always run from my laptop.

The thing I am focusing on is making an iPad optimized GM screen. I'll share when I'm done.

Re: Hero System Power Cards

I have an export format that does a simplified output: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/81610-New-Export-Format-RTF-Compact-6E-(SH)

I like the power cards concept. One of the things I have learned in prep for cons is that a lot of stuff can happen at the last minute. I have made it a point that I can go straight from HD to printing characters, otherwise I may miss important stuff.

I built an export format for spells that has a lot of the hidden information included. This attachment is an example of straight from HD output. It would be fairly easy to do the same for a more "power card" format.

Re: Hero System Power Cards

Nicely done. Is this an export format for HD?

Re: Cyberpunk: how did it change?

And that's exactly my point - we are in Cyberpunk right now. But the future is going to be entirely different' date=' and within our lifetimes. The future that was beyond the future envisioned by the cyberpunk authors has come to pass, more realized in some ways, less in others. But the future we see now, the future that seemed like abstract science fancy, is now within our grasp and it looks nothing like Neuromancer, or Blade Runner, or any of that.[/quote']

 

I can, right now, pull my mobile platform out of my pocket, log into my server, and start executing whatever code I need to, all while sitting on a train or walking down the street. We have transcended what was believed to be fiction. By the time we would perfect artificial prosthetics we will have mastered organic. It's time to look at the next evolution of man and machine and what that integration even means.

Re: Cyberpunk: how did it change?

Cyberpunk really can be summed up with: "The future is here' date=' its just not evenly distributed." - William Gibson[/quote']

 

And that's exactly my point - we are in Cyberpunk right now. But the future is going to be entirely different, and within our lifetimes. The future that was beyond the future envisioned by the cyberpunk authors has come to pass, more realized in some ways, less in others. But the future we see now, the future that seemed like abstract science fancy, is now within our grasp and it looks nothing like Neuromancer, or Blade Runner, or any of that.

Re: Cyberpunk: how did it change?

Here is an example of what I am talking about. I remember these adds and remember thinking about how amazing those ideas were.

Re: Cyberpunk: how did it change?

I see it as about social upheaval, power consolidation and transfer from governments to megacorps, integration of technology and its disruptive impact on human physiology, and the hacker/criminal subcultures as a reaction to oppression.

This is a result of the vision of the future we saw in decades past. Now that future is here and it looks very different. The vision of the future is significantly different than what once was. The foundation of cyberpunk is still relevant, but it's realization looks to be much, much, different. Our ability to evolve current trends and reconcile their impact is greater as are the trends themselves.

The future looks very different than it did 40 years ago. Cyberpunk, and the assumptions that created it, are a reflection of the fears and dreams of that era. We had no idea what social networking would do to the way humans communicate or view privacy. The structured access to data and communications that seemed so futuristic at the time, are now antiquated. If Neuromancer is the iconic representation of what is Cyberpunk, then the vision of postmodern science-fiction is very different today, as we would expect it to be.

Re: Cyberpunk: how did it change?

What was cyberpunk has evolved into transhumanism or posthumanism. You have to think beyond the chrome and the 'net. What happens when we can live forever?

Re: Eclipse Phase conversions to Hero

I'm pretty sure the Scum do just that in EP.

Re: Eclipse Phase conversions to Hero

That doesn't quite work out. I've built a couple of characters and if you are trying to capture how EP works, your Ego still has STR (and arguably CON) as well as some other non-AI/Automaton traits. Additionally, Morphs also have mental traits, so that doesn't work all that well either.

It is true that the majority of physical stats comes from the morph and the majority of mental stats comes from the ego. So far the easiest way to do this is to buy down all of the physical traits to 0-5 and then have morphs provide the standard base or more (10-20) and do the opposite with mental stats. If you do the morphs as package deals, you can easily add/remove morphs from a character to create different combinations, and the ability to do that quickly and easily, with everything calculating out the way it should (skills, etc.) I think is very important. Having an Automaton sheet and a separate morph sheet would be clumsy.

Re: Fallout Hero (6E)

Yeah, that's essentially an easier version of my "1/2 cost" idea. Simple and to the point. I like it.

You could combine the ideas... while the book is in your possession you get +1 to your skill if you can reference it during a skill test AND it grants you a 1 time XP bonus to learning the skill. In a group context however, I'm not sure that works well.

What if... having the book gives you +1 so that it is a useful focus/reference, and everyone can learn from the book by spending a week reading it and getting a 1 time +1 points spent bonus on the skill.

Re: Eclipse Phase conversions to Hero

Thank you. I intend to. Just ran an EP adventure to get the hang of things, test some builds. I have some ideas and am running an event on 5/14 so I will be working towards that. I think I am going to do the morphs as Package Deals built with lists in HeroDesigner. I can then apply a .2 cost multiplier to the list and treat it like a vehicle/multiform. I think that is the simplest way that approximates "resleeving". In one of the adventures the characters resleeve in the middle of the adventure. If I build things in this way, I can just delete one list, add the new morph (list) and print a new sheet. Simple.

Re: Strenght Feat

There is no concrete "feat of strength" rule that I recall. In the US361 there is a Hoist skill that allows you to boost your STR 1-5 using the skill (success by less than half gets you +5, success gets you +1).

In general, if you have enough STR you just do the task. However, I agree with your approach and in stressful situations (like lifting a stone door in the middle of combat) I will require a STR check, counting BODY and using that amount to determine the actual STR achieved. Only problem with that is that to register "half" values, the 1/2d6 from 3 STR will generate either 0pts (1), +3 on 2-3, +5 STR on 4+. Or, for more variability, the "half die" adds an amount of STR equal to the roll-1.

Anyway, don't forget pushing and the impact that can have on STR as well. Other than that, I think your approach works fine.

Re: Need an Insane assylum

I especially like this one with the underground tunnels (essential for Traverse City winters).

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~asylums/northern_mi/b50oldplan.jpg

Re: Need an Insane assylum

http://www.oobject.com/category/insane-asylum-plans/