Full Version: Stick n' Shock
| QUOTE (Rotbart van Dainig) | ||
So there are RAW thresholds?  |
If I were to assign a Threshold value, Obvious and Obscured are what I'd go by. There are no specific Threshold values for the guns themselves. A pistol has the same threshold value as a rifle, for instance.
Narrow bursts up the damage value at the expense of recoil. That works the same way for S&S as for anything else. Separating it by bullet takes entirely too much time and die-rolling.
There is one advantage to a taser over S&S, price. A Defiance taser uses darts with wires, which are retracted and reused. There's no ammo cost involved for using it.
My cover op character carries a Fubuki with S&S, but also has a taser. The taser is for easy takedowns to save on ammo costs, the Fubuki is really there for when things hit the fan.
The risk there is that the taser is SS and may not put somebody down, while a doubletap with the Fubuki probably will.
There is one advantage to a taser over S&S, price. A Defiance taser uses darts with wires, which are retracted and reused. There's no ammo cost involved for using it.
My cover op character carries a Fubuki with S&S, but also has a taser. The taser is for easy takedowns to save on ammo costs, the Fubuki is really there for when things hit the fan.
The risk there is that the taser is SS and may not put somebody down, while a doubletap with the Fubuki probably will.
| QUOTE (Ted Stewart) |
| Narrow bursts up the damage value at the expense of recoil. That works the same way for S&S as for anything else. Separating it by bullet takes entirely too much time and die-rolling. There is one advantage to a taser over S&S, price. A Defiance taser uses darts with wires, which are retracted and reused. There's no ammo cost involved for using it. My cover op character carries a Fubuki with S&S, but also has a taser. The taser is for easy takedowns to save on ammo costs, the Fubuki is really there for when things hit the fan. The risk there is that the taser is SS and may not put somebody down, while a doubletap with the Fubuki probably will. |
Where does it say that the ammo is reused? Since it has ammo capacity I assumed it had several darts and wires, and that the wires self-destruct after delivering the charge, freeing the gun for a second shot. There is tech for it already with myomeric rope (or whatever it's called).
| QUOTE (FriendoftheDork) | ||
Where does it say that the ammo is reused? Since it has ammo capacity I assumed it had several darts and wires, and that the wires self-destruct after delivering the charge, freeing the gun for a second shot. There is tech for it already with myomeric rope (or whatever it's called). |
you're thinking of the stealth rope/cable/whatever.
the truth of the matter is that the defiance really makes no sense whatsoever... the only difference fluff-wise between it and the pulsar is that the pulsar doesn't have the wires. they can, however, use the same ammo, and while the shocker would (presumably) still have the dart in you the turn after it doesn't seem to allow you to hit them a second time with that dart... you actually have to shoot a second time, hit a second time, and transfer the energy a second time.
what's more, you can use it in melee an unlimited number of times apparently (unlike other electrical damage weapons, it has no listed limit... unless you use the darts, in which case the power wouldn't be in the shocker) and it does more electrical damage than other melee weapons that do electrical damage.
really, the shocker just doesn't make any sense at all if you try to think about it... i mean, why isn't the shocker's power source used for stun batons, for example?
Maybe you guys play with lower power levels or less aggressive players than I do, but for the most part if I'm using the grunts from the book, I expect my players to handle them quickly and easily unless I throw alot of cover and tactics at them, if they are ambushing at all then just about anything below rating 5 sec forces go down in 3-6 seconds. I mean the healing mage uses a predator with ex-ex and kills most grunts in two shots and she isn't specialized at all in pistols. So, I don't really see the ammo differences coming into play too much until we hit enemies I made personally or entrenched forces and in both cases S&S is usually worse because it rarely takes off more Impact than the 6 they get in nonconductive. I mean, it is relatively cheap so why wouldn't you spring for it if you are a decently affluent person. Any Prime Runner or personally made enemy will probably have it. In a world of S&S and Lightning Bolt/Ball, I think it would be silly NOT to have it if you expect combat on a semi-regular basis.
Chris
Chris
| QUOTE (FriendoftheDork @ Aug 17 2007, 05:35 PM) |
| Where does it say that the ammo is reused? Since it has ammo capacity I assumed it had several darts and wires, and that the wires self-destruct after delivering the charge, freeing the gun for a second shot. There is tech for it already with myomeric rope (or whatever it's called). |
Hmm, wires that break down like stealth rope hadn't occurred to me, but also make sense. It's really interpretation at that point. Even if the ammo is consumed, it's still regular taser ammo rather than the much higher price for S&S, especially since the taser fires one at a time rather than bursts like the Fubuki.
Edit: I assumed the taser would fire off it's darts and then retract them, which is why the taser is SS rather than SA, and that the 4 shots is the battery charge.
| QUOTE (Jaid) | ||||
you're thinking of the stealth rope/cable/whatever. the truth of the matter is that the defiance really makes no sense whatsoever... the only difference fluff-wise between it and the pulsar is that the pulsar doesn't have the wires. they can, however, use the same ammo, and while the shocker would (presumably) still have the dart in you the turn after it doesn't seem to allow you to hit them a second time with that dart... you actually have to shoot a second time, hit a second time, and transfer the energy a second time. what's more, you can use it in melee an unlimited number of times apparently (unlike other electrical damage weapons, it has no listed limit... unless you use the darts, in which case the power wouldn't be in the shocker) and it does more electrical damage than other melee weapons that do electrical damage. really, the shocker just doesn't make any sense at all if you try to think about it... i mean, why isn't the shocker's power source used for stun batons, for example? |
Well if it used steath cable wires (and it does say wires, not wire), it would make sense that you had to shoot a second time.
As for the melee capability, it's not specified if you need to recharge it or if it has some magical ability to stun forever with no external power scource. I think we either can assume it has ten charges just like the prod and the glove, or that it uses it's own ammo capacity also in melee despite no darts are fired.
Ted: The shots are desbribed as Taser Darts in the ammo section - so I think it's safe to assume that the Defiance uses more than one.
I still think it also only has 4 charges (to go with the darts) to make sure it's not a better melee weapon than the Stun baton (which have higher availability, is restricted, and is more expensive to boot!
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