| From: | shadowrn@*********.com (Bai Shen) |
|---|---|
| Subject: | [Fwd: shotguns and shot] |
| Date: | Fri Mar 16 09:25:06 2001 |
>
> On Sun, 5 Nov 2000, K. Suderman wrote:
>
> > As a side note, shotguns in general are an aspect of the game that
> > >(I feel) need a few house rules to help them out. Minor tweaks, really,
> > >but they make shotguns more realistic. If you're interested, drop me a
> > >line and I'll pass them on.
> >
> > Thanks Marc, I went to your website (it's bookmarked :) and checked it
> > out. I've already adopted your autofire rules, I'll add your shotgun
> > rules, too.
>
> Ah, but did you find my "New and Improved for SR3" edition?
> Probably not, because I don't think I've gotten off my lazy ass and
> finished it yet. :( I'm such a slacker. But here, in front of a live
> studio audience, I give you a sneak preview of my updated and expanded SR3
> house rules pertaining to shotguns. Enjoy.
>
> Shotguns
> Another annoying rule by FASA is that scattershot is treated
> like flechette ammunition for the purposes of upping the damage code. Why?
> For instance, if you get shot with scattershot before it has traveled a
> sufficient distance to begin spreading, it's still one damage code higher
> than a slug would have been, even though it's almost exactly the same mass
> hitting you. And the argument that it hits more vital areas because of the
> spread doesn't wash, because that's reflected in the lower target number.
> As such, shotguns do the same damage regardless of whether they
> are firing shot or slug munitions. Thus, a Remington Roomsweeper does 9M
> standard when firing shot ammunition. Slug ammunition is resisted with
> standard Ballistic armor, and scattershot is resisted with Ballistic or
> double the target's Impact armor, whichever is higher (still like
> flechette in this regard, reflecting the fact that pellets make poor
> penetrators).
> For all of the folks out there who want to rend and tear their
> enemies with reckless abandon (and for all the munchkins lurking out there
> - you know who you are), it is of note that I have included an ammunition
> type called "scatter flechette" that fires a cluster of sharp projectiles,
> rather than a single dart like normal flechette ammo. It offers the best
> of both worlds (i.e. it spreads like shot as well as upping the Damage
> Code like normal flechette). Similarly, it is reasonable to use things
> like "scatter needler" (see the Neo-Anarchists' Guide to Real Life
> sourcebook, p. 30), explosive slugs, armor-piercing slugs, or whatever.
> Also, the scatter rates are a bit out of whack. Using the
> scattershot rules as written (SR3, p. 177), buckshot can come blazing out
> of the barrel in like a 30-degree cone. Having used shotguns, I can say
> from experience that this is just plain wrong, even for sawed-offs.
> Because of this, I have ruled that the shot must travel a number of meters
> equal to twice the current choke setting before spreading another
> half-meter in radius. This solves most of the unrealistic spread problems
> found in the Shadowrun rules as published.
> Another problem with shotguns is that the mechanics for them
> break down at extreme ranges. The reason for this is that even after a
> shot pattern has spread to a diameter of 7 or 8 meters, the Damage Code is
> still a 2S. By SR3 canon rules, once the power level drops to zero the shot
> is ineffective, but had the target been just a few meters closer, he or
> she would have had to resist 1(2)S. This is a prett extreme jump from a
> serious wound to nothing. So if you're not comfortable with a shotgun
> still having a 2S damage code all the way out to its maximum range, you
> can use a variation in the burst/autofire rules in reverse. Basically,
> for every three drops in Power Level, there's a corresponding drop in
> damage code. If the Damage Code drops to nothing, the shot becomes
> ineffective (meaning that while it may hit, and while it may sting and/or
> scare the shit our of your target, it won't do any actual damage). Either
> that or the pattern has become so spread out that you may pass pellets on
> either side of the target without hitting him or her.
> For instance, consider the following situation: Using the above
> described rules, a Defiance T-250 is firing shot ammunition. It's base
> Damage Code is a 10S, and the shooter has set the choke to a 2. Recall
> that the choke distance is doubled before spread is applied (as described
> above), so shot travels 4 meters before spreading/increasing the chance to
> hit/decreasing the power level. This shotgun's damage profile would look
> like so:
>
> Distance: < 4m 5-8m 9-12m 13-16m 17-20m 21-24m 25-28m 29-32m 33-36m >36m
> Damage: 10S 9S 8S 7M 6M 5M 4L 3L 2L Ineffective
>
> In this case, since the original Power Level started out at a
> 10, the spread rendered the shot ineffective even though the Power Level
> for the next spread would still have been a 1. Had the original Power
> Level been an 8S, the incremental drop in Power Level would have dropped
> to 0 before the spread brought the damage down below Light. In either
> instance, the shot is ineffective beyond that range (i.e. both reduction
> mechanics still work as a limiting factor).
> Obviously, setting the choke to a higher value keeps the shot
> pattern more tightly grouped, which increases your ability to effectively
> damage targets at longer ranges (which is pretty much exactly the case
> with real shotguns).
> It is often the case that more than one target will fall within
> the radius of the shot pattern. In such cases, it is possible that more
> than one target will be hit by the same shot. It should be pointed out,
> however, other targets after the first must be declared secondary,
> tertiary, etc. As such, they are subject to the +2 target number
> modifier. The beauty of it is, you don't need to roll again, just look at
> the numbers to see who got hit.
> For example, "Shotgun Exley" decides to open up on a pair of
> fleeing suspects with his Ithaca 990. He has his choke set at a 5. The
> first target is 20 meters away, the second (a faster runner) is 30 meters
> away. Exley declares that the closer suspect is his primary target
> (meaning that the farther is his secondary target). For argument's sake
> (xxxx), say that both are in medium range for the weapon (base target
> number 5). His target is running (+3 modifier as described in Modifier
> Changes above). Light conditions are not the best (because suspects never
> flee where you can see them clearly), giving Exley another +2. But at
> least he's unwounded, bringing the base target number to an 5 + 3 + 2 > 10. But
the target number drops, because of the spreading shot pattern.
> At 20 meters, a choke setting of 5 has spread twice (or four times by the
> canon rules - but they are unrealistically sucky, so we'll say it spreads
> twice as per the house rule described above), meaning that the target
> number to hit the first target has dropped to a 10 - 2 = 8. For the
> second target, the shot pattern spreads again, dropping the target number
> to a 7, but the +2 secondary target number modifier brings that back up to
> a 9. Thus, Exley needs 8's to hit the primary target and 9's to hit the
> secondary.
> Exley rolls his Shotgun skill of 4 and dumps all 4 allowable
> Combat Pool dice into the roll. He gets a 1,1,2,3,4,5,8, and a 9. This
> means he has two successes on the first fleeing suspect (enough to stage
> the damage up), and 1 success on the second. Unfortunately for Exley, the
> second target is far enough away that the Damage Code actually drops below
> the base by a level (as the pattern has spread 3 times).
I found 'em. :)
Bai Shen
> Easy, simple, far more realistic.
>
> Also keep in mind that shotguns can be used for suppression.
> The mechanics are simple if you just apply the rules for shotguns to the
> basic mechanics for suppressive fire (Cannon Companion p. xxxx). Work
> shotguns just like other weapons, but rather than allocating all their
> effect on a single 1m x 1m target area, use the spread to figure out how
> big an area the shotgun's fire "covers" with suppression. Simply decrease
> the power level (and damage code using the rule above) as normal.
> Note that if the shot spreads to cover more than one 1m x 1m
> area, you're likely to hit more folks, albeit with less damage. Further,
> since it takes 1 round per meter to "walk your fire" between adjacent
> suppressed areas, you may be able to get "overlap" of your patterns as you
> walk your suppressive fire across an area (hey, nobody ever said that
> autofire shotguns were a polite way to suppress the enemy).
> In other words, it pays to stay the hell out of the suppressed
> area. Autofire shotguns work extremely well for suppression fire, which is
> precisely why such weapons as the H&K CAWS and Mark 3 Jackhammer were
> designed.
> Keep in mind, however, that with increased shot pattern comes
> decreased damage. Very quickly, you'll run into a situation where the
> power level has decreased to the point that whatever cover your target is
> hiding behind will be unaffected by your attack (i.e. the Power Level will
> drop below the Barrier Rating of the cover).
>
> Because I'm a sick bastard, I also apply the drop in target
> number (and power level, and damage code) when calculating if random folks
> are hit by stray rounds, and what damage they take from those strays. Heh.
> Blazing away with a shotgun is a remarkably good way to hit people you
> didn't mean to. Sometimes spread is not your friend, and can result in
> catching unintended civvies or poorly positioned team members in your shot
> pattern. Like anything else, a shotgun has an intended use and may not be
> appropriate for any given situation.
> Finally, the last minor change stems from the fact that shotguns
> are notoriously good at knocking people down (generally because of their
> poor penetration characteristics). Because of this, shotguns do not halve
> their Power Level for purposes of calculating knockdown target numbers.
> By including just a few simple rules (less spreading, decreasing
> damage code for three spreads, and area suppression) you can make shotguns
> both more realistic and more effective for their intended role without
> making them overly powerful.
>
> Questions? Comments?
>
> Marc Renouf (ShadowRN GridSec - "Bad Cop" Division)
>
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