T Bone wrote:
Pauli, my thoughts:
I think you could use your vehicle Dodge rules with FEND, but let me
first ponder what it all means (i.e., succumb to Compulsion: Must
blather on and on, 18-):
Any switch from rolling vs Skill to rolling vs 'Skill/x + y' would
technically mean "for this purpose, skill matters less than it normally
does". That's theoretically a perfectly good game mechanism, and could
be used in many places. The bigger the x, the smaller the effect of skill.
But GURPS doesn't use the mechanism, which is fine; fewer mechanics =
simpler. There's one exception, though, Skill/2 in defenses. Why that
exception? That's a question for SJG to answer, but it's always seemed
to me that it's not for the reason given above. It's a game balance tool
– keeping defenses from getting too high for good playability* – and not
a statement by the designers that skill should be less important to good
defenses than it is to every other combat task.
* Not that 3e and earlier didn't find other ways to mess up that
balance. : )
So that leaves an oddball quirk in the GURPS rules, and that's what FEND
tackles: what if there wasn't that odd exception, and defenses worked
like any other use of skill?
Getting to your question: Per the above, are your rules suggesting that
the *importance itself* of skill will vary by vehicle type when making
vehicular Dodges? Or are you only trying to implement, like GURPS, a way
to limit how high a defense gets?
FEND would be comfortable with your using Skill/x for the former
purpose, and would frown upon using Skill/x for the latter purpose. But
whichever is your intent, I think there's no practical barrier to using
your rules with FEND. Change two-legged vehicles' Dodge to use full
skill (plus various mods, as suggested in FEND). Boost flying vehicles'
Dodge to use Skill x 2/3, or Skill/2; whichever you like. Boost wheeled
vehicles' Dodge to use Skill/2 or Skill/3, whichever you like.
Is there any reason why that wouldn't work?
The modified skill divisors would work, but would not be as
'elegant' as the FEND rule otherwise is. I have been thinking of
applying a straight penalty instead of dividing any skills;
the usual -4 is for Skill/2, -6 for Skill/3 and -8 for Skill/4.
This will result in somewhat higher defenses than before, but I
guess this is okay since FEND also offers more ways for the
attacker to inflict active defense penalties.
Also, of course, vehicles are subject to the limitations of
GURPS Vehicles movement rules - no dodging without a certain
degree of speed and maneuvering before the attack.
What I am really trying to implement here is simply that certain
vehicle types are easier to dodge with than others. Frex, it is
inherently easier to dodge with a jetfighter than with
an automobile.
As for deflector screens: Knowing nothing about how the PD-less 4e
handles deflectors, or even exactly what a deflector is in your game,
some ideas for gaming deflectors as something other than PD:
a) Do deflectors offer automatic protection, yet allow powerful enough
attacks to blow through? Then plain old armor, i.e. DR, sounds like a
good simulation.
Hmm.. In the setting, a cDR X screen requires at least 6Dx X cDMG
to punch through unhindered by the deflector PD. Also, any objects
with mass travelling at less than 300m/s relative velocity go
through unhindered, and guided projectile like a missile can
compensate for the fields deflection angles and also avoids the PD.
As for what a deflector field of the setting really is, it is an
artificially generated very localised variable geometry gravitic
lens effect. Similar technology is used for focusing the powerful
beam weapons of the setting, without having to use any physical
matter for a lens. Weapons, force fields and power technologies
are all at TL11.
b) Do deflectors act like a mobile shield, "catching" some attacks while
"missing" others? Then letting a deflector roll its own Block, separate
from the ship's own defense, may make sense.
c) Do deflectors in some way boost the effectiveness of the ship's own
evasive maneuvers? Then let the deflector add a bonus to a ship's Dodge
(think of it as a 4e shield defense bonus, not as 3e PD).
Yes, the deflector PD was added to the active defenses just
like ordinary PD from armor. However, even while the ship was still,
deflector screens did offer some protection in the form of passive
defense roll.
I am thinking about treating Deflector PD just like the FEND treats
normal shields - Subtract the Shield PD directly from any and all
attack rolls. This makes ships with deflectors more difficult to
hit in any situation, and does serve as a justification for
the expense of deflector screens as compared to ordinary armor.
Finally, another question about your rule: What's the reasoning behind
subtracting SM from vehicles' Dodge? Is it that a huge vehicle would
have to move much farther to Dodge an attack on its center? I can see
sense in that, though would have to wonder why the same shouldn't apply
to regular creatures, too.
Exactly. A huge vehicle might be simply unable to move away
from an attack vector before the attack hits it, no matter
what the usual dodge game mechanics say. This depends both
on its size and acceleration stats. Larger object needs more
acceleration to move out of the harms way. A 100yard cube
with 1g sAccel cannot maneuver nowhere near enough in
1 second to evade a beam weapon attack aimed at it's
center. OTOH, a 3x10 yard front profile starfighter with
1g sAccel is an entirely different story.. Size matters.
Yes, same should apply to land-based biological creatures
as well. Of course, a land-based biological creature is more
limited in it's application of accelerating force when
compared to a 3D vectored thrust starfighter.. I simply add
a Dodge Modifier equal to the inverted Size Modifier of a
creature (frex Size Modifier -3 = Dodge Modifier +3). The
average human being has a Dodge Modifier +0.
The new P/A skill 'Evasion' works as a Skill/2 dodge base for
biological creatures trained in the art of dodging attacks
while maneuvering on their feet. (Robots use Battlesuit or
Driving:Mecha skill as their dodge base.)
-Pauli
--
"Accompanied only by the full moon, howling of
the nightwolf, and the path under my bare feet,
the elvenpath.."
-Nightwish, Angels Fall First: Elvenpath
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