Vehicle repair Options

[Eryk the Red]

How does everyone handle the fixing of vehicles? They have a damage track, like characters, and suffer damage, like characters, but obviously they don't heal like characters. So, obviously, the fixing of this damage requires conscious effort. I've dealt with it once before and improvised it to work pretty much like first aid (including the threshold of 2), requiring about a day of work per roll. It doesn't feel quite right, though. I'm trying to figure out what kinds of penalties might apply to this roll, like maybe the vehicle's injury penalties? (Because some damage is so bad that only an expert is likely to get anywhere fixing it.) Also, damage of a certain level should probably cost something to fix, even when doing it yourself. Does anyone else already use a particular system for repair? Either like this, or completely different? I'm just fishing for ideas. I plan on shooting powerful weapons in the general direction of the players' vehicles soon, so this might become very relevant.

[eidolon]

I usually look at the vehicle cost, look to see how many boxes of damage is being repaired, find out how the work is being done and by whom (which contact, or is it a regular shop, etc.), find out how the parts are being acquired (looking to R3R for generic costs) and then...make up a number.

But I'm old school "before d20 created the notion that every possible situation that could ever occur needed a page of rules" like that. ;)

[Eryk the Red]

I like to improvise rules, then declare them canon. i don't like to have too many rules in the original system, but by the time I'm done, I've got a whole new system with rules for every situation that I care to have rules for.

That's how I roll.

[blakkie]

I think your initial roll sounds OK. I wouldn't worry about penalties much, except maybe for vehicles that are extremely complex or if for some odd reason the repairer is unable to get hold of manuals. Obviously, like other tech skills, the modifiers for tools in hand also apply. Are they trying to do with with a Toolbox at the side of the road, or are they doing this in a fully equipped SOTA facility.

I think about the only think missing is cost of parts and disposables. Just going with roughly 5% of original vehicle cost per box, while steep, doesn't seem entirely out of line. Or maybe a stiff penalty to the Repair Test if they try to cheap out on materials?

EDIT: I think an Extended Test would be closer to canon. But meh.

[Nghtsngr]

Well, in the description of extended tests on page 58 the example lists using an Extended Mechanic Test with a threshold of 15, and a increment of 1 hr. Downside is that has nothing to do with damage to a vehicle, and doesn't include any bonuses from repair kits or what not.

There's a table on page 125 full of modifiers for build/repair checks, but that again does not specify how many squares you can repair in what amount of time. I think I'd do something like rule "how damaged" it is with regards to that chart by how far along the damage path the vehicle is.

1-1/3 full: Easy Fix Threshold 4
1/3 - 2/3 full: Common Repair, Threshold 8
2/3 - full-1: Serious Damage, Threshold 12,
full: Broken Beyond Repair, Threshold 15.

Add in modifiers for having tools, having a shop, working from plans vs memory as listed.
Figure that repair costs would be a fraction of base vehicle costs, modified to taste. The basic idea is that even an easy fix on a sports car can potentially cost as much as a brand new scooter.

Lemmie know what ya end up using, since one of my players has her own shadow-shop, and will likely be doing some repairs.

Nghtnsgr

[Balcon13]

The way I do it is as follows:
-If the PC's are doing the work:
Cost for parts needed is 1.5 X number of boxes damaged.
Threshold is 2x number of boxes damaged
Extended test 1 role for every 8 hours of work
Threshold modifiers based on equipment:
No equipment - Can't be done
Toolbox / Kit - No modifiers
Workshop - -2 threshold
Facility - -4 threshold
IF the PC's are not doing the work I just put a multiplier on the cost X3 and allow negotiation by the PC'c to lower the cost, each net hit reduces cost by .2 and make the extended test 1 role for every day of work. If the PC's are trying to rush the person doing the work increase the multiplier as needed.
Make sure to take into account if the person doing the repair has any damage of there own before they role and use standard PC damage modifiers.

Example PC doing the work:
Vehicle - Mercury Comet: Cost 14,000.00
Damage - 5 boxes
Equipment - Shop
= Threshold 8 (Damage X2 - equipment), cost 10,500 (Cost of vehicle / Body X Boxes damages X 1.5)
Yes I know this is getting close to the cost of the vehicle but this example the vehicle was 1/2 damaged

Example PC not doing the work:
Vehicle - GMC Bulldog step-Van: Cost 35,000.00
Damage - 10
NPC Equipment - Facility
Negotiation test - 3 net hits
= Threshold 16 (Damage X2 - equipment), cost 56,875 (Cost of vehicle / Body X Boxes damages X 2.6 (-.6 for negotiation))
This is above the base cost of the vehicle but it is at 5/8 damage and they are paying a pro to fix it, time to get a new van or better negotiation or learn to do the work yourself, hey thats life in the shadows 8)

If the vehicle ever reaches full damage boxes well then sell it for scrap metal and you can make a role to try to salvage whats inside like weapons and supplies but it will take some time and work to get the stuff out.

[Lagomorph]

I believe Rigger3 had repairs at 5% per box, which I think makes sense, even if the thing is totally trashed (damage 10+), there's still quite a bit left to work with, it's not disintegrated or anything.

I'd probably make a extended test (damage X 2, 1 day), or (damage, 1 day) if you're feeling benevelent. Then let them roll every day to see how much gets repaired (every 2 successes repairing 1 point of damage, so that if they have to stop early, they'll still have a partially repaired vehicle)

Actually, thats basically like Bacon13's, so his rules but with 5% per box for damage. It's too early to read properly :/

[Jaid]

of course, then you run into the situation where something with enough boxes (over 20, to be specific) costs more money to fix (if totally destroyed) than it does to replace, but the cheap piece of junk being cheaper to fix than it is to replace...

perhaps a better solution would be price / (number of boxes * 2) or something like that. this results in 10 boxes giving 5% per box (which fits the old system of 10 boxes), while allowing it to work for any vehicle regardless of it's body rating.

or of course, you could just assume that parts for body 20+ vehicles are uncommon and cost a lot, i suppose.

[Lagomorph]

it's not particularly clear on this point, but if vehicles follow characters in determining damage boxes (8+1/2*body) then you'd need a vehicle with 24 body to have 20 boxes of damage. It'd be tough to damage such a vehicle, since it probably rolls more dice for it's body to resist damage than any character can reasonably roll to damage it.

[Konsaki]

When you go past a bulldog van in vehicles, you might start seeing missles or panthers being fired at it. (and not the weak ass panther you see in the book)

[kzt]

By missiles you mean things like the AGM-65 Maverick with it's 57 kg shaped charge? Yeah, unless you are carrying around a few meters thickness of armor I think something bad will happen and it will be time to go back to the dealership for a new vehicle. Not to mention a new crew.

[Balcon13]

[The Jopp]

I would actually say that vehicles also has a Physical Damage Overflow track as well. This would mean that a vehicle is disabled as soon as it takes full damage but it is not destroyed until it has taken (EDIT) BodyX2+1 damage.

[kzt]

[Konsaki]

[Mistwalker]

Add in area cranial bombs......

I think I might prefer that burning vehicle

[Eryk the Red]

Besides, 2070 vehicles are a lot less likely to leak flammable liquids. Electric power. I'm not too sure what the canon of it is, but I assume pretty much no regular person uses any fossil fuels for anything. And with fusion power plants, there's not much reason to use anything else for energy.

[lorechaser]

[kzt]

[Eryk the Red]

Whoa, Lorechaser, no one said anything about onboard fusion power. That's just the power plants. They're big. The car is basically just running on a rechargeable battery.

And fusion doesn't have the radioactivity issue of fission. You don't need radioactive isotopes, just hydrogen (which can be extracted from water). The by-product of fusion is helium, a harmless noble gas.

kzt is right, though, the engine being a big power cell is kinda scary. I'd imagine a fairly big vehicle's engine being blasted would be about like when a power transformer explodes. It gives off a significant electromagnetic pulse.

[Demerzel]

[Mistwalker]

That is why fire departments, today, are getting extra training on hybrid cars. If they need to use the jaws of like, they really need to know where not to cut.

[Demerzel]

There lies the danger of pronouns, you never know when someone is going to post an expose' on nuclear fusion ten seconds before you click Add Reply.

[kzt]

[Butterblume]

Since fusion came up, here is a wiki-article about a (one should say, the) multinational fusion experimental reactor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iter