 Average Power level? |
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 Sep 6 2005, 06:52 PM
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#1
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Moving Target  Group: Members Posts: 600 Joined: 31-August 05 Member No.: 7,659  |
Our DM wanted to have an average game where PC's had multiple areas of specialty instead of just two dozen dice in shooting.
What's the "average" power level of a good shooting score? I was going to be: Agility 7 elf (8 max) + 2 muscle toner automatics 4 +2 AK97 +1 recorded reflexes +1 (bioware that gives another +1, I forget name and don't have the book) +2 smart linked ------------------- That's 19 dice which is quite a lot over the DM who wanted 10-12 as maximum pool. Yet I think he's mostly looking at spellcasting pools, etc which don't benefit from cyberware, etc. Firearms also mainly have quite a bit of penalties to their scores. |
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Sep 6 2005, 07:30 PM
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#2
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Prime Runner Group: Banned Posts: 3,732 Joined: 1-September 05 From: Prague, Czech Republic Member No.: 7,665 |
What do you want, an average value or a good value? On a more serious note, here's how the world of (un)organized crime works in SR4: A bunch of bar patrons, Cthulhu cultists, or villagers turned against you by sweat words or magic spells roll 4 dice. Some gangers in the alley roll 5 dice. When a named character walks into the room with a bunch of mooks in matching outfits, all those mooks roll 6 dice. The Cops roll 7 dice. Soldiers and generic military personel roll 8 dice. Hit Squads sent by the local mob boss roll 9 dice. When the hit squad has a name, "The Lucky Cricket Benevolence Society" for example, the members of that hit squad roll 10 dice. Special Forces units roll 10 dice plus the number of adjectives used to describe them. So the Red Samurai are "elite" and "honorable", so they roll 12 dice. The Tir Tairngire Ghosts are "stealthy" and "masterful" and "legendary" - so they roll 13 dice. The Asamundo Nightwatch is "hard-boiled", "terrifying", "efficient", and "cannibalistic", so they roll 14 dice. The most memorable and interesting member of any of these teams rolls 1-6 more dice than that, so you could potentially be up against a Tir Ghost Team where the team's Bard was throwing like 19 dice at you, or an Asamundo Nightwatch Team where their Blind Lazer Sniper was throwing as many as 20. The thing about these groups is that they almost always roll that many dice on just about everything important that they do. So a group of CAS border guards is going to be rolling 8 dice regardless of whether they are using an assault rifle or a grenade launcher or a heavy machine gun. A Tir Ghost is going to be rolling 12 dice with a sniper rifle or a monowire. So just because you can make a charcater that can come up with 15 dice on some activity doesn't mean that you are Red Samurai or Nightwatch material - a starting charcater just doesn't have the depth to have what they need for that kind of environment. A starting character is probably going to be about as good overall as a Professional Rating 3 Grunt. Which means that you should strive to roll 9 dice in several tasks and 12 dice in at least one. -Frank |
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Sep 6 2005, 07:34 PM
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#3
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 600 Joined: 31-August 05 Member No.: 7,659 |
But with only 1000Y to buy a smartlink nearly anyone can easily get +2 in firearms. And specialties are cheap too, so wouldn't lots of NPC cops, etc have those to things for +4 dice also?
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Sep 6 2005, 07:40 PM
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#4
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,070 Joined: 7-February 04 From: NYC Member No.: 6,058 |
Yep. Your GM actually seems to want below-average characters, not average ones. (much below average, as far as runners go) |
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Sep 6 2005, 07:40 PM
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#5
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Prime Runner Group: Banned Posts: 3,732 Joined: 1-September 05 From: Prague, Czech Republic Member No.: 7,665 |
Oh heck yes. Many of them do. The average one does not. That's why the Lonestar Grunt Posse on page 275 rolls 7 dice with their stun batons or pistols, but the Lonestar Named Character listed immediately afterwards has 10 dice on his Browning Max Power. So "Detective Jacobson" rolls between 9 and 11 dice, but when "4 cops open fire", they are all doing so with 7 dice. -Frank |
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Sep 6 2005, 08:02 PM
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#6
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Mr. Johnson Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,587 Joined: 25-January 05 From: Berkeley, CA Member No.: 7,014 |
If this is Enhanced Articulation, you might want to read the entry again. It only gives +1 to all Physical Skills linked to physical attributes. Thus, it doesn't apply to Combat skills. Confusion comes from the fact that it used to apply to Combat skills in SR3. |
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Sep 6 2005, 08:12 PM
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#7
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 600 Joined: 31-August 05 Member No.: 7,659 |
Oh, is it tailored explicitly to certain skills?
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Sep 6 2005, 08:15 PM
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#8
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Prime Runner Group: Banned Posts: 3,732 Joined: 1-September 05 From: Prague, Czech Republic Member No.: 7,665 |
"Physical Skills" is an explicit category in the skill list. "Combat Skills" and "Vehicle Skills" are different skill categories. So Enhanced Articulation applies to Infiltration but not to Unarmed Combat. -Frank |
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Sep 6 2005, 08:19 PM
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#9
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 600 Joined: 31-August 05 Member No.: 7,659 |
Ah, and I assume lockpicking would also follow along? It's in another thread too, but would +1 reflex recorder and +2 smart link even stack? I only have 4 automatics so wouldn't my skill cap be 6? Or is there some loophole where one provides a bonus to skill tests instead of to skill?
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Sep 6 2005, 08:38 PM
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#10
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Target Group: Members Posts: 93 Joined: 9-December 03 From: Greenville, SC Member No.: 5,889 |
Locksmith is a Technical Skill, so no, enhanced articulation doesn't help. The only physical skills linked to physical attributes are: Climbing, Diving, Escape Artist, Gymnastics, Infiltration, Palming, Parachuting, Running, and Swimming. |
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