| From: | James Lindsay <jlindsay@******.CA> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Can remote-mounted weapons affect spirits? Yes and no... |
| Date: | Tue, 16 Dec 1997 07:03:43 GMT |
some of it has not.
On Mon, 15 Dec 1997 00:23:58 EST, JonSzeto wrote:
>
> My opinion on this matter is a little complicated and requires a bit of
> explaining....
>
> Whenever a rigger is directly controlling a vehicle (whether jacked into a
> rigged vehicle or "jumped" into a drone), she may attack a spirit by firing
> vehicle weapons or ramming the spirit with the vehicle. (The simsense
> connection is unimportant --- what is important is that somewhere in the
> universe, a metahuman being [the rigger], is mad enough to want the spirit
> destroyed, and is doing everything in her power to make it so.)
>
> As per the rules on p. 142 of the BBB, the rigger uses her Willpower instead
> of the Gunnery or Driving Skill. The rigger does not gain the benefit of bonus
> dice conferred for certain weapon attacks (such as Intelligence for missile
> attacks, or Sensor for Sensor-enhanced Gunnery).
>
> Vehicle weapons are subject to the Immunity to Normal Weapons power, and the
> spirit receives the normal (2 x Force) armor when resisting these attacks.
> IMHO, this armor is NOT Hardened Armor (with certain exceptions, like for
> Earth Elementals), so even if the armor rating is greater than the Power, the
> spirit still has to make a Damage Resistance Test against a TN of 2 (the
> lowest TN possible).
>
> OTOH, if a rigger rams the spirit with the vehicle, the Immunity to Normal
> Weapons power does not apply. From the mindset of the rigger (which is what
> matters in combat with spirits), she is personally engaging the spirit with
> her (surrogate) body, so the will to fight is not attenuated as it would be
> with firearms and explosives.
>
> (Keep in mind also that when a rigger rams a manifested spirit with a vehicle,
> real, physical damage is also being done to the vehicle. Resolve damage to the
> vehicle normally, as per the ramming rules in Rigger 2. Control Pool dice and
> bonus dice from other accessories DO apply, in this case.)
>
> <pause for transition>
>
> Now, as far as a drone that is NOT being directly controlled by the rigger
> (who is either sitting in "captain's chair" or may be controlling another
> drone, or may not even be jacked into the network), things are different.
> Since the rigger is not "present," there is no "will" to fight
from the drone.
> So anything the drone does (firing weapons or ramming) will have no effect on
> the spirit (although it might affect the drone).
>
> There is, however, one exception to this rule. If a rigger explicitly orders a
> drone (or multiple drones) to attack a spirit, then it could be considered
> that the rigger is investing the will to fight by ordering the drones to
> attack. If so, then combat is resolved as normal, substituting the rigger's
> Willpower Attribute in lieu of the drone's Pilot Rating. The Immunity to
> Normal Weapons power applies to drone attacks, INCLUDING ramming attacks made
> by drones (the rigger isn't directly involved, so drone ramming doesn't bypass
> the power).
>
> There is one caveat to this loophole, however. The rigger must specifically
> order the drones to "Attack this spirit." A general command, like
"patrol this
> area and shoot anything that moves" isn't good enough; the rigger must
> specifically designate the spirit as a target, and she must specifically tell
> her drones to attack it. Any other command simply does not possess the "will
> to fight."
>
> IM (very convoluted) O.
>
> -- Jon
James W. Lindsay Vancouver, British Columbia
"http://www.prosperoimaging.com/ground_zero";
Money talks... it usually says "bend over"...
