Smart Ammo

[GhengisRexx]

So I load some smart rounds into my rifle. They are TL 14. I shoot them at a naked savage who is TL 0. I get +6 to hit. (The difference between the TL of the rounds and the target, maximum 6.) Turns out the savage is just changing clothes and puts on some TL 9 Kakhis and a Polo shirt. Now I only get +5. Oh wait, my target is actually cosplaying, his Polo shirt is really a TL 15 smart fibre shirt. Now I don't get a bonus. Am I reading this right?

 

[arcador]

Yes, with some details. I always think it's more sophisticated than this. Otherwise, can be just lame, and up to +6 bonus is far too much.

For example, I don't count this bonus unless the target is at least in Combat Armor or bigger. I consider the ammo has some locking and tracking mechanism which can easily recognize patterns of particular tech and adjust itself to increase the probability to reach the target. While the rules say this type of ammo is suitable for rifles and pistols, I am reluctant to make it available to my players without any conditions.

 

[legozhodani]

I'm still on the fence as to how to use this. Luckily my players are not gunbunnies so it won't be much of an issue.

 

[Tenacious-Techhunter]

Them’s just bad rules.


The “smart ammo” I’m familiar with changes course to hit its target... and here is how I would houserule it:

Smart Ammo provides a bonus to hit a target (up to +3) that can be distinguished with a sensor system and designated by the interface to a weapons system (usually a smart gun of some sort, on the player scale). It will also provide a separate but stackable bonus to overcome dodging penalties (up to +3). Both of these penalties are reduced based on an opponent’s equipment, as follows:

For Camo 2TL lower, the to-hit bonus is +2, not +3, and +1 for 1TL lower; reduced to 0 for the same TL or higher. Battledress that provides a dodge bonus will lower the bonus to overcome dodge penalties the same way at those TLs.

Note that the target’s equipment must provide a technological enhancement for this bonus-lowered-by-TL to take effect; unless that shirt makes him partly invisible, providing him with some cover, it’s not going to change anything. Neither would a shirt make him dodge better, leaving that part of the bonus fully intact. A suit of Battledress that is built to be extra dodge-y with no camo won’t have any effect on the to-hit bonus, either. It would take a Battledress with equal TL camo and equal TL dodging ability to eliminate both benefits of the Smart Ammo... which, realistically, Battledress of that TL would have anyway, so long as it wasn’t bought by a player on a shoestring.