From:	Dave Sherohman <esper@*****.IMA.UMN.EDU>
Subject:	Re: More drek than you're probably interested in.
Date:	Tue, 6 Apr 93 16:31:33 CET

> Problem: Has anyone besides us at UPS noticed that SRII tasers (particularly
> the Yamaha Pulsar from NA Guide to Real Life) are ridiculously powerful.
> Unless we are reading the rules wrong NO ONE, NEITHER PC or NPC has ever
> been able to avoid being helpless from convulsions if not downright
> unconscious when hit by a taser shot (some players in our game almost never
> use regular firearms anymore--just Taser 'em and slit their throats while
> they are helpless. We read the rules as follows. The Firearms test for the
> attacker is normal. To resist (not using any of the rules listed above)
> is 10 (power level of taser)-(1/2) impact armor (usually 2 or 3, at best) or
> a target number of 7 or 8. No one has yet been able to generate enough
> successes to overcome the attacker's successes and stage the damage down
> lower than a mod stun (at which point you not only take the stun, but are
> incapacitated by convulsions for 3d6 turns)! If we are missing something,
> please tell us. If we have the rules right, we have come up with the
> following modification.

I don't know where you're getting this... Looking at my SR2 (p. 103 if you
want to read along) under _Shock_Weapons_, I see, "An additional effect of...
a stun weapon is that the target is stunned for a number of Combat Turns equal
to the Power of the attack, minus one-half (round down) any Impact armor worn,
and minus the successes generated from a Body or Willpower (whichever is
greater) Test made against a Target Number of 4. This state of disorientation
imposes an additional +2 target modifier to all tests for the duration." I
don't find any shock resistance against TN 7 or 8; I don't see any d6's rolled
for duration of shock effects; I don't see anyone being left helpless by
convulsions (unless you call a +2 on all TNs helpless). Of course, from a
standard Taser, you're still gonna see people be affected for 5-6 turns or
longer on a regular basis, but it's just a +2 TN (good time to find some
cover and lay low for a little while, no?)

esper@***.umn.edu