From:	David Buehrer <dbuehrer@******.CARL.ORG>
Subject:	Re: SRII Lethality
Date:	Wed, 17 Dec 1997 11:56:27 -0700

Brett Borger wrote:
/
/ > Your error is in giving your average Joe blow a combat pool. IMO,
/ > PCs have dice pools because they're "heros" (sorta ;). Typical NPCs
/ > don't have dice pools. Challenging NPCs get dice Pools. Major NPCs
/ > get Threat ratings.
/ >
/ > If you re-do the example without dice pools the postal worker
/ > averages 1-2 successes and Bob averages 1 success. Bob takes a light
/ > wound, but it's because postal worker used a cheap hold-out pistol.
/ > If he was a real potal worker he'd use an Uzi III and Bob would go
/ > down in a hail of lead.
/
/ Hmm. izzat so?
/ Postal worker uses hold out: Light Wound
/ Light Pistol: Light Wound
/ Heavy Pistol: Moderate Wound
/ SMG(SS): Moderate Wound
/ SMG (1 burst): Postal worker misses.

Hmmm. Maybe the amount of damage per wound should be increased.
Realistically (IMHO) 5 shots from a .22 should take someone down. In
SR it requires 10. Maybe the damage should be: Light 2, Moderate 4,
Serious 6, Deadly 10. Or if you want things more lethal: Light 3,
Moderate 5, Serious 7, Deadly 10. Feel free to adjust the scale
until it's appropriate for your game.

And maybe there should be some bleeding rules. A simple box per
minute until you stop and take care of it. If you take a light wound
and then go running all over the block you'll bleed to death.

/ > If you want to challenge PCs then start getting serious and use
/ > things like sniper rifles, tasers, neuro stun, etc, and ambush the
/ > PCs.
/
/ Oh, I do. The point is that they should still feel at least mildly
/ threatened by every gun they encounter. As it is, in a non-ambush
/ situation, they aren't worried unless:
/ 1) They are outnumbered 10:1
/ 2) The enemy is in mil-spec armor
/ 3) Magic or other such special situations.

This get's back to my "the PC is the hero" philosophy. I stopped
trying to threaten the PCs a long time ago and attack them with
complex stories. They get all tied up trying to figure out what to
do that they screw up. The last adventure I ran the PCs were trying
to get to a boat. I figured they'd rent a boat, or they'd rent some
scuba gear and sneak up to the boat. Instead they all stripped down,
jumped in the water, and had a water elemental take them to the
boat. Then one of the PCs shot a guard with a harpoon gun. The
guard's screams of pain brought all the other guards on deck and they
opened up on the PCs, who were floating in the water, without armor,
without their heavy weapons. God I love being a GM :)

Oh yeah. NPCs with monowhips <EGMG>. You gotta be careful not to
overdo this one though or it'll loose it's "charm". Every once in a
blue moon the PCs face an monowhip and I carve them up pretty good.
If they even hear the word "mono" they start sweating.

-David
--
"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.
Art is knowing which ones to keep."
--
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