| From: | shadowrn@*********.com (BD) |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Combat Pool changes |
| Date: | Tue May 8 13:10:01 2001 |
> being better at raw combat ability than kids who've lived their lives
> out on the streets or even trained professional fighters.
Okay, that's it, stop the car. Let's examine your central argument
(which all boils down to that one paragraph I've left quoted above).
You're making three erroneous assumptions in your zeal to change the rules,
IMO.
1) Intelligence equals genius. No, it doesn't... Intelligence is _not_ a
stat that determines how well you do in school or how well you can play
chess. Sure, it makes those things easier, hence Knowledge skills being
linked to it, but it also represents perception, quickness of mind, perhaps
even subconscious reasoning. These things are _all_ important in combat.
If your mind is quick, you'll remember the cover behind you, you'll see
that the gun barrel is aiming at your legs and dodge accordingly, you'll
notice the ork always swings with his left arm, never his right.
2) Combat Pool equals "Raw Combat Ability." No, it doesn't. The skills
you learn are Raw Combat Ability... Edged Weapons, Rifles, Whips 'n' Chains
'n' Leather, those are what determines how you'll do in a fight. A Combat
Pool of 24 won't do you a ton of good if your skill is 2 (or if you don't
have any skill). Combat Pool usage is limited by the skill you're using.
Combat Pool represents your basic attributes being a resource that you draw
on in a fight; it's not the be-all and end-all of fighting. It's
complementary.
3) Deckers, Riggers and Mages are going to kick street urchins or combat
trained characters's asses. Probably not. Being a decker or rigger or
mage means you've spent Points (or money, but same thing) on a deck, or a
couple vehicles and VCR, or just plain being a mage. Other characters get
to spend the Points elsewhere: on more skills, on better Attributes, on
whiz-bang cyber. It stands to reason that they're going to be more
combat-capable than the specialty characters, simply because that's what
they've focused on!
Granted, you're going to get a decker sometimes who can sling an assault
rifle with the best of them, but that's FINE, because he's PAID for it in
skill points! And if a mage wants to be a devil in unarmed combat, fine,
let her spend the points to make it so.
That's the beauty of Shadowrun... there's nothing saying that shamans can
only take Health spells and mages can't wear security armour and deckers
can't have a Combat Pool higher than 5. I want that kind of system, I'll
play AD&D.
So those are my thoughts. If you still think this should be changed,
hey, that's your right. But why do we have to be converted? Use it in
your game, no-one's stopping you. I'll stick to SR3, no-one's stopping me.
Everybody's happy!
====-Boondocker
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