Rating System Rules

[icekatze]

hi hi

I've fielded a number of questions regarding how critical hits work in this system, so I decided to go back and try to reword the rules so that they are hopefully more clear. They are really not very hard, honest... they're just tricky to explain.

Also, after the last play session I ran, I have been contemplating some minor changes to the way active dodge and active search work, in order to make them more interesting, while keeping the normal passive Target Number thresholds intact. I should have an update on that before too long.

[icekatze]

hi hi

I made some slight changes to the way active dodge and careful observation work.

The old rules:

Spoiler: show

active dodge
A character may spend action points to increase their dodge by an equal amount for a turn.

observe carefully
The character may spend 5 action points to gain the benefits of careful observation. When observing carefully, a character may choose an area and/or specific thing to observe for. Doing so increases the character’s alertness score for the given area/thing, while decreasing it for other areas/things.

The new rules

Spoiler: show

active dodge
A character who chooses to actively dodge spends 5 action points, then rolls their dodge score as a Standard Test. Resources may be spent to improve the result as normal. Until their next turn, the character uses the result of the roll as their temporary dodge score.

Additionally, a character who is actively dodging may choose a target to focus on. When doing so, they gain a +5 TN bonus to their dodge score vs that target, but suffer a -5 TN penalty to all others.

observe carefully
The character may spend 5 action points to gain the benefits of careful observation. When observing carefully, the character rolls their Alertness score as a Standard Test. Resources may be spent to improve the result as normal. Until their next turn, the character uses the result of the roll as their temporary Alertness score.

The character may also choose an area and/or specific thing to observe for. Doing so increases the character’s alertness score for the given area/thing, while decreasing it for other areas/things.

I think they are better and more streamlined overall, but if anyone prefers the old rules, let me know and I will put an alternate rules note in the document.

In other news:
• I have finished a basic list of vehicles for people to choose from, and get an idea of how they work.
• Added entries in the Aid list for vehicle fuel.
• I updated a few entries in the weapon modifications spreadsheet, adding an option for weapon mods that reduce/increase crit fail chance.
• Updated the Aid list with exact PipBuck abilities, based on magic rules from the Big Book of Magic. (Finally)

[icekatze]

hi hi

I finally broke down and made revised vehicle sheets for the updated vehicle rules. Unfortunately, due to the number of options, I wasn't able to condense all of the formulas into a single spreadsheet without it bogging down with gigantic IF statement chains. Instead I made a set of spreadsheets, one for each vehicle weight/frame class, which you can find below or on the main google docs index page.

Spoiler: show

• Light/Small
• Light/Medium
• Light/Large

• Personal/Small
• Personal/Medium
• Personal/Large

• Heavy/Small
• Heavy/Medium
• Heavy/Large

• Capital/Small
• Capital/Medium
• Capital/Large

These rules will work for vehicles and robots. Although, there are still not concrete rules for Cyberbrain/AI stats, governing Perception, Charisma and Intelligence for robots, you can still use your best judgement for now. (3 and below is a good starting point for semi-intelligent robots.)

[FloRad]

Hi Icekatze, it's me from the IRC. I was reading through the rules to get a good understanding of them and came across something that I can either not understand or is not defined. I see that when a character attacks somebody in melee, they roll Unarmed/Melee vs Dodge as an opposed roll. That makes sense and I like it. But how do you determine a hit with a ranged weapon like a gun? Roll against Dodge too?

[SilverlightPony]

Hi Icekatze, it's me from the IRC. I was reading through the rules to get a good understanding of them and came across something that I can either not understand or is not defined. I see that when a character attacks somebody in melee, they roll Unarmed/Melee vs Dodge as an opposed roll. That makes sense and I like it. But how do you determine a hit with a ranged weapon like a gun? Roll against Dodge too?

Attacks with guns and the like cannot be dodged the way unarmed/melee attacks can. The attack roll is a flat skill roll with the skill in question (usually Firearms, Battle Saddles, Magical Energy Weapons, or Explosives). A pass is a hit, a fail is a miss, a crit-success is usually a hit in a particularly vulnerable area, and a crit-fail is usually a jam, misfire, or accidentally hitting a friendly or bystander.

[icekatze]

hi hi

I'm not sure where Silverlight is getting the notion that guns cannot be dodged the way unarmed/melee attacks can. That may be someone's house rules, or a different system.

Attackers spend a number of action points based on the weapon used, then roll their applicable stat + skill. The target number is their target’s dodge or cover rating.

- Chapter 3, Basic Attacks

Whenever you make an attack, your opponent's dodge rating is your Target Number. This Target Number can be modified by various things like distance, cover, and/or visibility. ((Long range, for example, increases your Target Number to hit by 10. So an opponent with 11 dodge who is at long range will require a result 21 or higher to hit.))

Normally, a defender doesn't roll their dodge rating as an opposed roll, they just use their passive dodge rating. However, if the defender chooses to spend action points, they can "active dodge," which allows them to roll their dodge rating and use the result until their next turn. (Along with a few extra bonus options, like the ability to spend energy on the roll)

If an opponent is unaware of their attackers and not moving evasively, they are caught by surprise and do not get their dodge bonus.

Special attacks, such as called shots, can increase the Target Number.

((Edit: I have added a little bit of extra clarification into the rules document on how taking cover works.))

[SilverlightPony]

By "Can't be dodged the same way", I meant that it's not an opposed roll. The defender can do things to increase the difficulty of the shot (lower the target number), but it's not done in the same way as the opposed roll on an unarmed/melee attack.

[icekatze]

hi hi

Don't get me wrong, I am always interested in hearing about new house rules, and if someone has come up with a different way to handle melee combat, I think that is really cool and I want to know more.

In the core rules though, both Melee and Ranged attacks use the target's dodge rating as their Target Number. The only time dodge rating is rolled is when a character is using Active Dodge.

((Characters in melee are able to spend an action to parry other melee attacks, which adds the weapon's DT to their own, but that is an optional defensive action. And actually, after looking at the way Parry is vaguely worded in the description, I might want to make some alterations to it.))

[SilverlightPony]

*facehoof*

I apologize; somehow I failed to realize that this thread was talking about a different ruleset than the one I'm used to. Derp.

Carry on!

[Shady_steps]

Silly silver "hugs"

on a side note i have some house rules i am working on for a cover system if you want to take a peak.