CordwainerFish
Emperor Mongoose
Wonder if laser weapons have tunable wavelengths. Remember the scene in Ringworld wheee Louis Wu tried to shoot a dude whose shirt was the same color as his laser?
Weapon Damage Output Balance?
- Thread starter DeHammer
- Start date
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
1. Concentrated heat, so I'd suppose anything that can disperse it.
2. Multi spectrum fog, or gas, if it's visible.
2. Multi spectrum fog, or gas, if it's visible.
Following my post, it's also worth noting that rolling a 12 to hit is only a one in 36 proposition. It happens fairly often. Rolling a natural 10 or more is a one in 6 chance. A lucky shot followed by a better than average damage roll is not rare, and usually decides things.
For low power targeting ones, shouldn't think that would be much of an issue. +Cr100 option.
Weapon grade ones probably can't be that flexible, but you might have some ability at high techs.
+6 or +7 dmg is nothing to sneeze at when you have 21 before it kills you dead.
It's also worth noting that a 3D6-3 Autopistol IS NOT optimised for shooting at targets with modern or future body armour. Targets wearing helmets and vests should be engaged with longarms or heavier pistols anyway. But it does the job it's supposed to do against unarmoured or lightly armoured foes at close ranges.
(Plus, you can't really tell if it's loaded with spicy rounds, or how good a shot the other guy is. As a threat, it's still one that usually needs to be respected.)
(Plus, you can't really tell if it's loaded with spicy rounds, or how good a shot the other guy is. As a threat, it's still one that usually needs to be respected.)
Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that Traveller has a lot of things you can do. That doesn't mean you should do them in your particular game's situation.
Combat in Traveller works fine and is scary enough to make you think before wading in, without making instakills very likely unless you do something really foolish. Like fancy military weapons without military armor.
A typical 2d6 pistol fired at a guy in AV8 by a character with +3 to hit will most likely do a minor amount of damage. Roll a 7 on the hit +3 = 10. So +2 dmg. Roll a 7 on the dmg +2 equals 9. The heavier pistols at 3d6-3 actually do only 1 more point on average, but have a higher max (15 vs 12 before effect bonus). But if someone rolls a 12 to hit or on damage, now that 1dmg is 5dmg.
And that's a mediocre pistol with a decent combat total. A higher Dex + Gun Combat will, of course, do more damage on average.
Again, the average character is in the hospital at 14 dmg.
On the other hand, if your party strolls up to the fight geared up like a riot squad, most likely there won't be a fight if the other guys have pistols. They'll be running for the hills after seeing how you are geared up.
Combat in Traveller works fine and is scary enough to make you think before wading in, without making instakills very likely unless you do something really foolish. Like fancy military weapons without military armor.
A typical 2d6 pistol fired at a guy in AV8 by a character with +3 to hit will most likely do a minor amount of damage. Roll a 7 on the hit +3 = 10. So +2 dmg. Roll a 7 on the dmg +2 equals 9. The heavier pistols at 3d6-3 actually do only 1 more point on average, but have a higher max (15 vs 12 before effect bonus). But if someone rolls a 12 to hit or on damage, now that 1dmg is 5dmg.
And that's a mediocre pistol with a decent combat total. A higher Dex + Gun Combat will, of course, do more damage on average.
Again, the average character is in the hospital at 14 dmg.
On the other hand, if your party strolls up to the fight geared up like a riot squad, most likely there won't be a fight if the other guys have pistols. They'll be running for the hills after seeing how you are geared up.
Terry Mixon
Emperor Mongoose
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Generally speaking, protected by the law but not follow it, depends a lot of how much money, or social standing, the player character has.
Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.[10]
Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.[10]
Any society that can produce a particular type of armour will generally be able to recognise that armour as armour. If your world allows shotguns that does not mean it allows you to carry them around the streets by default. If it did them wearing armour suitable to protect against it would also be common (within the budget of the average citizen).
Many states in the US allow carrying firearms (at varying levels of control). Most of the inhabitants of those states would still be alarmed if they saw someone who was not on some official duty wandering around in a flak vest, even in states where concealed carry is the norm. Whilst there is a shooting every day in the US (and even multiple times a day in some cities), it is not an everyday occurrence to every citizen. Even in those cities where there is a real chance of being shot most people do not routinely wear body armour even though it is commonly available.
Just because they can it doesn't mean they will. There are lots of soft factors:
Mobility and comfort. Traveller does not impose this at a game mechanics level as if you really need to wear armour it is comfortable enough when it's protection might be needed. That doesn't mean it is sufficiently comfortable wear it all day and when off-duty etc.
There is the perceived threat, people dressed for combat look intimidating.
There is the admission of vulnerability and intent, if you are wearing armour it signals that you are expecting a fight and is an internal admission that you are expecting to be attacked. That mindset can get wearing and ironically can lead to carelessness over time.
Conversely it can generate a false sense of security and lead you to over-engage when alternative resolution would be more prudent.
There is the social acceptability aspect, "body armour at the theatre... how gauche". People who routinely wear body armour are generally lower SOC, they are foot soldiers not people with style. The high SOC "have chaps that do that for them".
If you are wearing that body armour day in day out it will get scuffed and dirty (self-cleaning/repair armour helps). Even in armour there will be local fashion and you could signal that you are behind the tech curve or an off-worlder (and we all know what they are like!).
Visible armour will escalate an encounter. If your opponent knows you routinely wear cloth, they will tool up accordingly. That makes anyone in your group who isn't wearing armour even more vulnerable so now everyone has to wear it. So will the opponents. Now everyone is using 4D weapons with AP as that becomes the minimum viable force. Now shots can go through walls and harm innocent bystanders etc. Police first responders will be quasi-military. Any legal process will assume intent as you went equipped.
Smart rounds can home in on armour (somehow). If you are not wearing it there is nothing to home in on. If the only tech you are wearing is a wrist comm then maybe the smart round will take off your hand rather than your head.
Most real world armour comes with some perception impact. You cannot feel as well when wearing it, you vision and hearing can be impaired by helmets. Traveller does not explicitly have rules about this but it doesn't prevent the referee from applying a bane in certain circumstances.
It is an extra layer that needs to be removed to receive effective first aid. Again this isn't written into the rules, but Traveller is a toolkit for the referee.
Armour comes with a weight burden. In the encumbrance sidebar it states that you CAN count armour as 25% of its weight as it is distributed. Whilst this might be true for the DM-2 for being overburdened in that section, I am not convinced it applies to overall weight for Fatigue purposes, it is still weight you are lugging around for an extended period. TL10 cloth is already implausibly light for the protection it offers.
If your characters want to dress like a street gang who only have combat in their repertoire then that is the sort of patrons they will attract. Those jobs tend to pay less and are intrinsically more dangerous. They are also jobs that tend to invite personal retaliation and double crosses. You have chosen the role of expendable mook not highly competent specialist. That doesn't mean you shouldn't tool up for the job itself, just not swan around town advertising you are a gun for hire.
Many states in the US allow carrying firearms (at varying levels of control). Most of the inhabitants of those states would still be alarmed if they saw someone who was not on some official duty wandering around in a flak vest, even in states where concealed carry is the norm. Whilst there is a shooting every day in the US (and even multiple times a day in some cities), it is not an everyday occurrence to every citizen. Even in those cities where there is a real chance of being shot most people do not routinely wear body armour even though it is commonly available.
Just because they can it doesn't mean they will. There are lots of soft factors:
Mobility and comfort. Traveller does not impose this at a game mechanics level as if you really need to wear armour it is comfortable enough when it's protection might be needed. That doesn't mean it is sufficiently comfortable wear it all day and when off-duty etc.
There is the perceived threat, people dressed for combat look intimidating.
There is the admission of vulnerability and intent, if you are wearing armour it signals that you are expecting a fight and is an internal admission that you are expecting to be attacked. That mindset can get wearing and ironically can lead to carelessness over time.
Conversely it can generate a false sense of security and lead you to over-engage when alternative resolution would be more prudent.
There is the social acceptability aspect, "body armour at the theatre... how gauche". People who routinely wear body armour are generally lower SOC, they are foot soldiers not people with style. The high SOC "have chaps that do that for them".
If you are wearing that body armour day in day out it will get scuffed and dirty (self-cleaning/repair armour helps). Even in armour there will be local fashion and you could signal that you are behind the tech curve or an off-worlder (and we all know what they are like!).
Visible armour will escalate an encounter. If your opponent knows you routinely wear cloth, they will tool up accordingly. That makes anyone in your group who isn't wearing armour even more vulnerable so now everyone has to wear it. So will the opponents. Now everyone is using 4D weapons with AP as that becomes the minimum viable force. Now shots can go through walls and harm innocent bystanders etc. Police first responders will be quasi-military. Any legal process will assume intent as you went equipped.
Smart rounds can home in on armour (somehow). If you are not wearing it there is nothing to home in on. If the only tech you are wearing is a wrist comm then maybe the smart round will take off your hand rather than your head.
Most real world armour comes with some perception impact. You cannot feel as well when wearing it, you vision and hearing can be impaired by helmets. Traveller does not explicitly have rules about this but it doesn't prevent the referee from applying a bane in certain circumstances.
It is an extra layer that needs to be removed to receive effective first aid. Again this isn't written into the rules, but Traveller is a toolkit for the referee.
Armour comes with a weight burden. In the encumbrance sidebar it states that you CAN count armour as 25% of its weight as it is distributed. Whilst this might be true for the DM-2 for being overburdened in that section, I am not convinced it applies to overall weight for Fatigue purposes, it is still weight you are lugging around for an extended period. TL10 cloth is already implausibly light for the protection it offers.
If your characters want to dress like a street gang who only have combat in their repertoire then that is the sort of patrons they will attract. Those jobs tend to pay less and are intrinsically more dangerous. They are also jobs that tend to invite personal retaliation and double crosses. You have chosen the role of expendable mook not highly competent specialist. That doesn't mean you shouldn't tool up for the job itself, just not swan around town advertising you are a gun for hire.
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Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
You never know when you might need someone to take a bullet for you.
