| From: | Fade <runefo@***.UIO.NO> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Stealth, Jumping, Falling (The diet bit was just BS) |
| Date: | Sat, 31 Oct 1998 06:37:58 +0000 |
about these subjects, so I've made up a few on my own. They are house
rules, not canon, just in case it needs specifying.
The rules are on Falling, Jumping, Stealth, Surprise/ambush, and
actions during movement. The first two rules I like, the two next
ones I'm not content with, and the last one I seldom use or enforce.
Suggestions for improvement are wellcome.
FALLING
Rule as written: Meters fallen/2 D damage. (FoF)
Why it needs changing: Falling from a height of 1 meter will severely
maim any normal (body 3)person. Anyone with normal body will get at
least a severe wound no matter how far they fall.
Rule suggested:
Opposed test of meters fallen(4) against body(4)+athletics(4). Base
damage of moderate. TN for victim and base damage level adjusted by
up to +/- 2 if the surface is hard concrete or soft grass/hay.
Impact armor does not help at all. If (body>2*M fallen) then damage =
stun. In some falls (knockback - related, for instance) athletics is
not appropriate or should have TN modifiers.
A good physad can fall approximately 4-5 meters fairly risk-free, so
can a Huge Troll or athletic sammie. A normal person can
fall 1 meter and will probably get light or medium stun.
JUMPING:
Rule as written (running jump. Standing jump is without quickness),
it's in FoF.
Length= (1+ (0.1 * athletics (length desired))*((str+qui)-body)/2,
rounded down.
Height=length/2.
What annoyed me was the 'length desired' bit. If you say you want to
jump 2 meters you can jump a lot further than if you need to clear 6
meters??
The simple modification is to make it an athletics(4) test that adds
to quickness, just like when running. More streamlined, more
consistent, easier to use. Also, not rounding off - we're not using
miniatures so it doesn't HAVE to fit into 1M intervals.
So: Length = (athletics(4) + quickness + strength - body)/2
Height=length/2
STEALTH (and perception)
These are dealt with differently in 2nd and 3rd edition. In 3rd
edition stealth is an open test, then modified by camo etc.
What annoyed me at first was that there was no rule, then a vague
rule, then a 3rd edition rule that I didn't like. The TN varies
a LOT, it's hard for someone unskilled at sneaking to do so,
etcetera.
I listed this one a long, long time ago during an argument about
seeing a sniper and how easy (hard? impossible? that was.).
I use the basic system with perception modifiers as listed.
TN to see someone is Base TN + stealth (4). The stealth test
is rolled once per scene, actions can modify this number a lot.
Base TN depends on range. Use shotgun ranges in dense wilderness,
sniper in fairly open terrain, etcetera. If you do an obvious action
you may be noticed beyond extreme range, at a further +2 to TN.
Cover gives cover modifiers to the perception test.
Moving counts as an obvious action,
so does discharging a weapon. (Normal perception modifiers).
The stealth test TN is usually 4, but can be modified by
circumstances. Most circumstances modify the TN to see the person
instead of the sneaker's TN, though.
Creative hiding locations should give modifiers, depending on the GM.
(Possible easy way would be to allow athletics as a complementary
skill).
Actions spent observing give additional perception tests. In some
cases (exhaustive searches) this also reduces the TN to spot the
sniper.
This rule is not 'hard' - it requires a lot of GM's calls, but at the
same time with some guidelines. Examples follow:
Sniper in wilderness. He has spotted a number of guards earlier, and
has snuck up on where he thinks they'll pass. The guards are moving
slowly, in camo, they are sneaking but has negligible stealth skill.
They are moving at a tangent to the sniper, their path will be the
closest to him at 20 yards. The sniper, on the other hand, has taken
cover, and is sitting still, waiting.
The sniper would not be guaranteed to notice the guards.
TN to notice: BASE + stealth (4) yields 1 success. It's dense woods,
so we use shotgun range. They're unlikely to be noticed beyond
extreme range, but we'll see in a bit. At 100 meters the chance to
notice them is 9+1 base. Modified by walking, which is fairly
obvious, by -4, and by appropriate clothing but not camo, with +2,
and no cover. It's dusk, for partial light, but in our sniper's case
that doesn't matter. His TN to notice them is thus 9+1-4+2 or 8.
He rolls a 1,2,3,4,5,7. He doesn't see them yet. Do they see him?
It's fairly unlikely. Base TN 9. The sniper is a regular sammie, with
6 stealth, and gets 4 successes, for TN 9+4. Modifiers are
appropriate cover (+4), appropriate camo (+4) for a final TN of 21.
As they move within 50 meters the TN to notice them drops to 6
(moderate range) +1-4+2 or 5. (Their chance to spot him: 18.). The
test yields two successes at this range, while the guards still
hasn't seen our sniper. He aims and fires. He uses a silenced hunting
rifle, (-2) leaving their chance to spot him at 16. They all try
desperately to spot him and also get into cover. He shoots a few more
times before one of the guards spot him and return fire. Once spotted
it's easier for the rest to spot him (GM's call. Removing his
successes at the least, automatic at most.).
Another example:
Shadow, styling himself 'the stalker', is trying to sneak up to a
guard and cut him in half with his AXE!. MUAHAHAHAH!
(Take your medication now, okay.. good....).
Okay, the guard is distracted watching some porn distributed over the
security network by the (bored) decker. It's a well - lit hallway.
I'm giving it heavy pistol ranges here. The hallway is with sparse
cover, for the most part he can go from cover to cover in one
(non-running) move, so he gets some cover modifier except for the
last 8 - meter stretch, which is bare hallway.
This should be hard, but not impossible for someone with awesome
stealth.
Base TN is 4, cover +2, action obvious -4, distracted +2. This
doesn't sound too bad, with a base TN of 4. At extreme range
(50+ meters) the TN to spot him would be 9, at medium (6-20) the
TN is 5. At the last stretch, though, it gets harder, about as hard
as it should get. Base TN 4, no cover, obvious action -4, distracted
+2 for a base TN of 2. If the guard wasn't distracted it'd be a 0,
which means someone without stealth is bound to be noticed unless the
guard fumbles it. Shadow, though, has 8 stealth, gets 4 successes. If
the guard was still distracted at the end, the TN to spot him would
be 6, else it'd be 4.
Doing the above would probably require a high stealth (10-12) if you
wanted to expect it to succeed, especially if the guard wasn't
distracted. (Or less stealth and more gadgets like ruthenium suits
etc... 12 stealth AND a ruthenium suit... oops...).
SURPRISE and AMBUSH
Original rule: Everyone makes success tests, whoever gets more
successes cannot be acted against by anyone with less successes
during first pass (or so) and if you get no more successes than any
opponent you're completely surprised.
Problem:
This rule is actually pretty okay. I'm just trying to nuance it a
bit depending on the result of the ambushed person(s) perception
test.
If the target(s) of the ambush does not get any successes then
the ambusher(s) gets one free action before checking initiative. Then
initiative is checked with surprise as normal. (Possibly with a -2
modifier on attacker's reaction test.).
If the target(s) get one or two successes surprise is resolved
normally or with bonus to attacker. (Depending on 1 or 2 successes as
well as situation.).
If the targets get 3+ successes then the attacker will not get a
reaction test bonus, and the defender might get one.
(The attackers must have been really inept in this case, or the
ambushee's very lucky.).
Example: The example above, with the guy sneaking up on the guard.
If the guard didn't spot him he gets decapitated, most likely, end of
story. (No counterattack, TN 1(2) with the axe, say 5-10 successes
somewhere, the result it's fairly given.).
If the guard spotted him with 1 success during the final (open)
approach, check for surprise with bonus to attacker (or penalty
for distracted to the guard, or both. Depending, the guard is most
likely in trouble unless he's wired, but in that case he might have a
chance.
If the guard saw him coming (3 successes+) he can probably get more
successes than Shadow, but in this case I think it'd be unlikely that
he surprised Shadow, only that he might react faster, so Shadow still
gets to attack on his action if he goes first. If he saw him while
shadow was 20 meters away he might turn the table on him though. It's
a GM's call kind of situation.
In cases where both sides 'just run into each other' uses the rules
as written.
ACTIONS DURING MOVEMENT
This is just a guideline for when things happens and what you can do
when. It limits, partially, the habit of running up to someone and
shooting them twice in the head, for instance.
If you move and take an action, the actions will be taken sometime
during moving. If it is a complex action it is calculated as if you
did it in the middle of the move, if it's (two) simple actions one's
from where you start and the other's from where you end up.
(You can also take one of the simple actions mid - move.).
A special case is melee, which usually has attack styles which
handles stuff like charging - allow an attack to be taken at the end
of the move as well.
That's all, folks.
Regards,
--
Fade
And the Prince of Lies said:
"To reign is worth ambition, though in Hell:
Better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven."
-John Milton, Paradise Lost
