Well, at this stage I'm thinking that I want damage rating+successes. I still don't want a static defence, *but* I would like to favour defence. (Aside from aesthetics, I'd like to integrate non-combat actions more smoothly in the turn, and static defense cocks that up along with a few more things.) So I am thinking of the following:
You have four options: Attack, defend, reflex, or maneuver:
* An attack in a multiple action series drops your current pool by 2 dice. * A defence in a multiple action series drops your current pool by 1 die. There is no such thing as "all out defence" any more. * A reflex is a quick, spontaneous reaction. Like a defence, you're only down 1 die for doing it in a series. Examples: Jumping clear of a collapsing floor, steering a parachute. * A maneuver is a stunt or intentional action of some kind, and it carries a 2 die multiple action penalty. Examples: Sneaking to somebody's flank or making a running long jump over a pit.
One of the things I like about this is that the first guy to get attacked is a die up to defend since his first penalty is just -1. Gord attacks and defends at 2 and 1, but defends and attacks at 3 and 1.
I think that works relatively well. Increasing the damage via damage rating + success requires that defence be prioritised over offence.
This is essentially singly-depleting defence pools with the player deciding the mix between defending and attacking and falls somewhere between 'pulp heroes' and 'extraordinary humans' on the chart above.
A nice side benefit is that it requires more than double the defender's pool to whittle their dice down to nothing.
Also, there still is an 'all out' option. If you forgo the chance at multiple actions and defence, you get what is essentially a 2-die bonus.
What this results in, in a larger scale, is that low-skilled characters have a reasonable chance of defending themselves and high-skilled characters never reduce their chance of being hit to zero. People get hit less often, but when they do get hit, chances are, it hurt.
NB: You'll likely want to halve the damage of all weapons, otherwise single hits are likely fatal. So fists are 1/2 strength (bashing), knives are 1 damage and azoths are 1-5 damage of your choice.
Essentially, each point of damage should be seen as a doubling of the deadliness of the weapon. Adding to-hit dice would be a way to distinguish between weapons with the same damage rating, where three dice is about equal to raising the damage rating by one point.
Thus, an assault rifle, rather than increasing the damage rating, might be DR 3 (gun), +2 to pool (tool bonus).
This does make combat mildly more lethal in that, if you're hit, you can expect to lose a decent chunk of health. The focus is on defence and armour/soak to reduce your chance of being hit or hurt, as 2-3 hits will drop a character.
One thing: making azoths do up to 5 damage means that even Gord runs the risk of incapacitating or killing an enemy in one hit (this, of course, diminishes with their skill: a 9-pool opponent has a 2% chance of being one-shotted and a 7-pool opponent has a 6% chance. By the time we get to a 4-pool mook, it's just over 20%.)
I think that's more or less your intent, in that they're supposed to be superscience and more effective than conventional weapons, but if not, you'll want to scale them downward.
Also maneuvers are mechanically neat. It's a -2 penalty that results in a +2 or +3 bonus to an attack (or a pleasant intangible). That makes them a gamble with a clear reward.
With a dice bonus on success, it makes trying cool things zero-sum or better, rather than a penalty, but avoids compressing a multiple-action trick into one roll.
I.e. Aviva is on a balcony when a fight breaks out below. Lacking a clear shot at the thugs threatening Gord, she jumps for the chandelier and swings on it as she shoots. (strength + athletics - 2 to jump, if that succeeds, dexterity + ranged weapons - 1 to attack)
You have four options: Attack, defend, reflex, or maneuver:
* An attack in a multiple action series drops your current pool by 2 dice.
* A defence in a multiple action series drops your current pool by 1 die. There is no such thing as "all out defence" any more.
* A reflex is a quick, spontaneous reaction. Like a defence, you're only down 1 die for doing it in a series. Examples: Jumping clear of a collapsing floor, steering a parachute.
* A maneuver is a stunt or intentional action of some kind, and it carries a 2 die multiple action penalty. Examples: Sneaking to somebody's flank or making a running long jump over a pit.
One of the things I like about this is that the first guy to get attacked is a die up to defend since his first penalty is just -1. Gord attacks and defends at 2 and 1, but defends and attacks at 3 and 1.
Reply
This is essentially singly-depleting defence pools with the player deciding the mix between defending and attacking and falls somewhere between 'pulp heroes' and 'extraordinary humans' on the chart above.
A nice side benefit is that it requires more than double the defender's pool to whittle their dice down to nothing.
Also, there still is an 'all out' option. If you forgo the chance at multiple actions and defence, you get what is essentially a 2-die bonus.
What this results in, in a larger scale, is that low-skilled characters have a reasonable chance of defending themselves and high-skilled characters never reduce their chance of being hit to zero. People get hit less often, but when they do get hit, chances are, it hurt.
NB: You'll likely want to halve the damage of all weapons, otherwise single hits are likely fatal. So fists are 1/2 strength (bashing), knives are 1 damage and azoths are 1-5 damage of your choice.
Essentially, each point of damage should be seen as a doubling of the deadliness of the weapon. Adding to-hit dice would be a way to distinguish between weapons with the same damage rating, where three dice is about equal to raising the damage rating by one point.
Thus, an assault rifle, rather than increasing the damage rating, might be DR 3 (gun), +2 to pool (tool bonus).
This does make combat mildly more lethal in that, if you're hit, you can expect to lose a decent chunk of health. The focus is on defence and armour/soak to reduce your chance of being hit or hurt, as 2-3 hits will drop a character.
One thing: making azoths do up to 5 damage means that even Gord runs the risk of incapacitating or killing an enemy in one hit (this, of course, diminishes with their skill: a 9-pool opponent has a 2% chance of being one-shotted and a 7-pool opponent has a 6% chance. By the time we get to a 4-pool mook, it's just over 20%.)
I think that's more or less your intent, in that they're supposed to be superscience and more effective than conventional weapons, but if not, you'll want to scale them downward.
Reply
With a dice bonus on success, it makes trying cool things zero-sum or better, rather than a penalty, but avoids compressing a multiple-action trick into one roll.
I.e. Aviva is on a balcony when a fight breaks out below. Lacking a clear shot at the thugs threatening Gord, she jumps for the chandelier and swings on it as she shoots. (strength + athletics - 2 to jump, if that succeeds, dexterity + ranged weapons - 1 to attack)
Reply
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