Can vehicles defend against melee attacks? Options

[Ranger]

Can vehicles defend against melee attacks? For example, if a character with a monofilament whip delays his action to attack a car as it drove by, does the driver get to make a defense test against the attack?

The Vehicle Combat section of the SR4 book describes only 3 possible defense tests: against ramming attacks, evasive driving against ranged attacks, and the standard defense against ranged defense.

Drones with the Defense Autosoft are allowed to parry and full parry against melee attacks. But, it's only drones that have the option to defend against melee attacks.

This seems to imply that if you swing a melee weapon at a vehicle, you make a success test instead of an opposed test. Is this correct?

[Wounded Ronin]

It can if it's an autobot or decepticon.

[Damatory]

I'm interested to hear an answer for this. This scenario has actually been the butt end of a joke with my group. My character vaguely resembles Morpheus from The Matrix, and I often make the joke that I'm gonna chop an SUV in half with my monofilament sword.

[ElFenrir]

From what I remember, it depends on what the attacker does. If it can break through the armor somehow with enough damage, it can damage the object.

Otherwise you end up with fighting gazebos. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

[Stahlseele]

in SR3 there was this nice little gadget called an Anit-Theft-System and the Electric Shock System . .
switch it on and whoever hits your precious car has to defend against a world of Hurt *g*
and in SR4 there are Mechanical Arms which you can mount on your Vehicle of choice . .
so your Car can indeed just pick up a Sword and fence with it's adversary . .
okay, it may not be so nimble and able to dodge, but it can parry at least *g*

[ElFenrir]

Sweet jesus...with a bit of electronics underneath of it...I really can make a Battle Gazebo.

I hope my players don't see this thread.

[Stahlseele]

with arsenal, you can make a battle-anything . . just like you can make a lol-anything today instead of just a lol-cat O.o

[Chrysalis]

Could you make The F-22 version of Starscream with Arsenal?

Or how about the AH-64D Apache Longbow?

-Chrysalis

[Stahlseele]

well, there is a Walker Mod . . and Mechanical arms . . and as far as i know(about as far as i can throw the intarwebs), there is no rule forbidding you from addinig legs and arms to a plane *g*
i don't know about the apache, isn't that a usual military choppa?

[Chrysalis]

It is just a normal attack helicopter.

The helicopter seen in Transformers is the MH-53 Pave Low also known as Blackout.

[Stahlseele]

ok, you would not get a TRANSFORMER . . unless you pay extra and bribe your GM accordingly . .
you will just get a plane/air-craft that has legs and wings . . of course, that reduces the need for run-ways and the such, so i imagine planes that can climb over other things and don't need a long runway will probably be pretty much welcome on most carriers *g*

[Chrysalis]

The BAE Systems/Boeing Harrier II (GR5, GR7, and GR9 series) is a second generation vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) jet aircraft used by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and, since 2006, the Royal Navy. It was developed from the earlier Hawker Siddeley Harrier and is closely related to the U.S.-built AV-8B Harrier II. Both are primarily used for light attack or multi-role tasks, and are often operated from small aircraft carriers, such as the HMS Invincible (R05).

[Stahlseele]

yes yes yes, but it still takes up more space because it can't just be put up against a wall or something like that *g*

[Zak]

BattleTech - Shadowrun crossover, here we come. Weeeee (IMG:style_emoticons/default/love.gif)

[Stahlseele]

you don't know half of it i am afraid . . buddies of mine are active in the battletech world, and in one of the newer books there's Shadowrun style Cybernetics . .
Muscle Replacement, Cyber-Implant Weapons, Dermal Armor, DNI . . the works . .
they belong to the same corporation don't they? give it one or two years and you will have a rules-wise fully compatible system for the both of them . .
then the only thing you have to work out is how to time travel because they are about 1000 Years apart *g*

[Ranger]

From what I remember, it depends on what the attacker does. If it can break through the armor somehow with enough damage, it can damage the object.

Yes, I know you can damage vehicles with a melee weapon. My question is does the driver get to make a defense test against such an attack?

If the attack is just treated as a success test, that would make sense, since I don't really see how you can dodge a melee attack with a vehicle. But, I wanted to confirm with the community to see if others thought the same way.

Seems that my thread has been seriously derailed.

[Zaranthan]

Yes, I know you can damage vehicles with a melee weapon. My question is does the driver get to make a defense test against such an attack?

If the attack is just treated as a success test, that would make sense, since I don't really see how you can dodge a melee attack with a vehicle. But, I wanted to confirm with the community to see if others thought the same way.

I'd be inclined to agree. If you've actually driven within melee range of someone, you've failed to perform a vehicle dodge by definition.

Seems that my thread has been seriously derailed.

Totally worth it.

[Ranger]

I'd be inclined to agree. If you've actually driven within melee range of someone, you've failed to perform a vehicle dodge by definition.

Okay, thanks Zaranthan. I'll just got with that, then.