Fighting and doing stuff in ZERO-G

[AdamWillow]

Help me out, please.

According to Traveller Companion:

Physical actions:
For every 0.25g difference between the gravity a Traveller is used to and the gravity they experience, DM-1 is imposed on all physical actions. Assume a ‘home’ gravity of 1g for most people living and working in space, as most space stations and a starships are maintained at this level. The DM is increased by +1 for every level of the character’s highest relevant skill, up to DM+0.

Fighting:
As per the Traveller Core Rulebook, any Traveller who uses a ranged weapon that does not have the Zero-G trait, or who attacks with a melee weapon, must make an Average (8+) Athletics (dexterity) check to avoid spinning out of control. The attack automatically misses if this is failed.

Question:
Do you do this athletics (dex) test with negative DM because it's a physical action?
For example traveller with ath (dex) 1 has -3 DM for physical actions
He shoots, so he needs to make 8+ athletics (dex) with this -3DM or not?

Another secion mentions that if you are spinnig without control you suffer DM-2. Is it another negative DM? Or I should not use DM for physical actions when firing? Just this DM-2 when someone doesn't pass his first athletics (dex) test?

Traveller companion:
If the spinning Traveller wants to carry on fighting regardless, or take some action other than self-rescue, all checks are subject to DM-2. It is possible to shoot a firearm or make an attack in such a way as to counteract the spin, but this is highly unlikely to succeed. Both the attack and chance to correct the spin are subject to
the usual penalty for doing two things at once, so the Traveller needs to make Difficult (10+) check to attack and to right themselves, whilst subject to DM-2 for being out of control in the first place.

 

[Bill Sheil]

First of all the rules in the Companion are generally "optional" so implicitly they may need a bit of massaging to have them fit with, or replace, the main rules.

I would distinguish the low/high-G rules in the companion from Zero-G and use one or the other, but not both. Remember that at the end of the day you are just testing (fuzzy, ill-defined) probabilities so there is no need to compound penalties if the results become excessive. Although there is a bit of an overlap in super-low-G for the most part actions with a bit of gravity to contend with would probably have a different set of issues from actions in a purely weightless environment.

Furthermore I would not count the Athletics(Dex) as a "physical action". It is not an action, it is a test to avoid the negative consequences of another action in a specific (Zero-G) environment.