Gauntlet Laser Question

[Flak]

Greetings all.
I would like to know if it is possible to use a laser pistol in the same hand as a gauntlet laser? and/or 2 gauntlet lasers and 2 laser pistols at the same time? If so what would the penalties be? would a H.U.D alter the penalties other than a straight +1? as I understand it dual wielding is a -2. How would this be classified?
i.e. a marine in a boarding action with a total of 4 lasers ( 2 gauntlets and 2 pistols) firing all at the same time on 1 target.

Also the illustration of a gauntlet laser seems to be showing it as a pop-up / retractable mount. is this correct?
Thank you.

 

[Arkathan]

The multiple skill rule steps by two for each thing you try to do simultaneously after the first.
The dual Weapons rule assumes that you can only hold one weapon per hand.
Your DM could rule that with neural control or a smart weapon setup, the gauntlets and pistol could fire when either is triggered. Otherwise, you'd trigger one or the other.
In any case, trying to fire four weapons would be like performing four skills, and each roll would be at a minus six.

 

[Annatar Giftbringer]

I might be tempted to use the multi-link rules from battledress weapon mounts here… and count each gauntlet/pistol combo as one linked weapon, so each arm is one attack for the multi-attack rule.

Sure, it’s not strictly ‘right’, and battledress has targeting computers and sensors to make the linking work, but it’s a game and supposed to be fun

 

[Condottiere]

The angles would probably be a bit off, so aiming penalties.

 

[Annatar Giftbringer]

The angles would probably be a bit off, so aiming penalties.

Yes, that thought crossed my mind as well… additional -DM beyond the DM-2 for using two weapons, halving ranges, only allowing it within X m…? Something extra might be needed.

 

[Condottiere]

Double laser gauntlet, not just linked, but hard, as stiff material that aligns both barrels, linked.

Maybe there's a heat issue if you have two.

I think the gauntlet would be aligned along your wrist and arm, while a pistol with hand and fingers.

 

[ottarrus]

I'm with Condottiere on this one.

A HUD link doesn't point the weapon, it just displays the strike zone. Therefore a forearm mounted laser pistol will be a few inches /centimeters off of your shoulder-thumb-finger aim point. So you'd have 4 reticules pointing at 4 hit locations.
That'd be... confusing... at the very least, and no amount of training is going to make up for it. There's just no way that one human can cognate 4 aim points with two eyes, two arms and just one brain.
Note that I don't think of a forearm laser pistol as being mounted on gimbals like the shoulder-laser on a Predator [from the 80's movie]; I think of it as being firmly mounted to the BD vambrace. This means that the onboard targeting computer can't actually aim the weapon for you. It shows you your strike point and you have to adjust your position accordingly.

 

[NOLATrav]

I too imagine the gauntlet lasers as hard-mounted, presumably with enough clearance to allow (nearly?) full range of motion at the wrists.

Here’s an idea: One attack roll for each arm. In addition to the usual two-weapon attack DMs, the gauntlet laser on each arm uses the same roll as the laser pistol in that hand - without skill or Dex DMs. Thus the focus is on the pistols and the gauntlets are bonus hits if the initial rolls are high enough. Roll damage for the gauntlets normally if they hit.

Or maybe treat them like shipboard turrets. Each gauntlet laser barrel provides DM+1 to hit and damage, or some such. But I suspect the OP is looking for something a little more dramatic.

 

[Annatar Giftbringer]

I too imagine the gauntlet lasers as hard-mounted, presumably with enough clearance to allow (nearly?) full range of motion at the wrists.

Here’s an idea: One attack roll for each arm. In addition to the usual two-weapon attack DMs, the gauntlet laser on each arm uses the same roll as the laser pistol in that hand - without skill or Dex DMs. Thus the focus is on the pistols and the gauntlets are bonus hits if the initial rolls are high enough. Roll damage for the gauntlets normally if they hit.

Or maybe treat them like shipboard turrets. Each gauntlet laser barrel provides DM+1 to hit and damage, or some such. But I suspect the OP is looking for something a little more dramatic.

That’s why I suggested the battledress-linking above. Works more or less the same as turret-linking, one attack but add the d6’s of the additional weapon to final damage.

Keep it simple and fun!

 

[Arkathan]

Or maybe treat them like shipboard turrets. Each gauntlet laser barrel provides DM+1 to hit and damage, or some such. But I suspect the OP is looking for something a little more dramatic.

This makes sense, if you buy the electronics to link them. No bonus to hit, though, and the second laser provides a +3 (+1 per damage die).

 

[ottarrus]

I too imagine the gauntlet lasers as hard-mounted, presumably with enough clearance to allow (nearly?) full range of motion at the wrists.

Here’s an idea: One attack roll for each arm. In addition to the usual two-weapon attack DMs, the gauntlet laser on each arm uses the same roll as the laser pistol in that hand - without skill or Dex DMs. Thus the focus is on the pistols and the gauntlets are bonus hits if the initial rolls are high enough. Roll damage for the gauntlets normally if they hit.

Or maybe treat them like shipboard turrets. Each gauntlet laser barrel provides DM+1 to hit and damage, or some such. But I suspect the OP is looking for something a little more dramatic.

That’s why I suggested the battledress-linking above. Works more or less the same as turret-linking, one attack but add the d6’s of the additional weapon to final damage.

Keep it simple and fun!

I understand your points here, but there's nothing whatever wrong with just saying, 'no'. The player still gets to come in with two guns blazing like a cowboy gun fighter, so there's nothing lost there.
One of the jobs of a ref is to say 'no' and explain it in reasonable, understandable terms. I honestly think this is one of those times. The player is already at huge advantage being in BD with targeting computers anyway.

 

[Condottiere]

Achieving cinematic effect, while still maintaining credulity.

 

[ottarrus]

Achieving cinematic effect, while still maintaining credulity.

ALWAYS the hard part in Traveller. We got no Jedi mind tricks or Vulcan nerve pinches to cover up the basic necessity to explain the physics.

What's funny is that I've heard players of fantasy games call Traveller 'soft' science fiction just because it has FTL travel that doesn't require generation ships. I'll grant you that 2300AD /the Expanse is HARDER physics sci-fi, but let's not act like Traveller is all swoopy space fighters that can kill battleships....

 

[Condottiere]

1.

2. The Expanse appears to have stargates and manoeuvre drives, though it is gritty.

3.

 

[Flak]

I would like to thank all who responded.
Thank you.

 

[Shayd3000]

I understand your points here, but there's nothing whatever wrong with just saying, 'no'. The player still gets to come in with two guns blazing like a cowboy gun fighter, so there's nothing lost there.
One of the jobs of a ref is to say 'no' and explain it in reasonable, understandable terms. I honestly think this is one of those times. The player is already at huge advantage being in BD with targeting computers anyway.

Well, I'm the GM of the player posting this particular question. Yeah, saying "no" was a consideration. However, I would like to not do that for the simple reason that this particular player finds this aspect of the game enjoyable. That is, he likes to try different combinations of things and see how they work in game. He usually then sees that it has no practical use and moves on to the next thing (like his tracked motorbike made in Vehicles) or some such. Every once in a while he does find something game breaking and then I have to rule.

The thing is, he is less a "mechanics" oriented person and more a read the description kind of person. So, he tends to bypass the rules in the books and do stuff based on what the description says. That creates a lot of problems in this particular game because the descriptions and the mechanics don't always align nicely - and this is not a slight to what is in the descriptions - they are done in a "catalog" flavor which is pretty neat, but there are sometimes moments when something does not work exactly as described. Not a complaint. But sometimes a challenge.

I appreciate the discussion on this board - it pretty much went the way I was thinking to go on it. I had actually considered going beyond -6 difficulty for many of the reasons stated above, but decided the character could probably "tweak" the angles of the laser mounts if he wanted, so I figured it probably wasn't worth the rules overhead, and honestly, keeping to a streamlined set of rules runs more smoothly, and if the player is having fun shooting 4 lasers at a time (even if only for intimidation factor) then I'm okay letting him drain the batteries and burn holes in the walls, ceiling and floor!

George

 

[NOLATrav]

…keeping to a streamlined set of rules runs more smoothly, and if the player is having fun shooting 4 lasers at a time (even if only for intimidation factor) then I'm okay letting him drain the batteries and burn holes in the walls, ceiling and floor!

George

That’s awesome, man - rock on!

 

[Annatar Giftbringer]

Just a thought, but the new Mercenary Kickstarter has rules for suppressive/area fire, where you basically have a chance to hit everything within a certain area. The required to hit roll varies with size of area, volume of fire and number of weapons, but something along those lines might be a solution… ?

 

[Condottiere]

Shooting lasers all over the place certainly would encourage people to keep their heads down, and would count as suppressive fire.

Whether you hit what you thought you were aiming at, is another thing.

 

[NOLATrav]

Cepheus Engine had a neat rule for suppression fire - attack at DM-2, uses twice the ammo spraying the area around the target(s). On a success, targets’ initiative scores are reduced by the Effect and they suffer DM-1 to any tasks that round. Otherwise they are hit normally.