I need some help from the community. Recently I've implemented a house rule that the damage target number be 4+ instead of 5+. Everything else is still at 5+. The reason I've done this is that I've noticed that it is relatively hard to hurt people (PCs and NPCs). If you crunch the numbers then you would need to have a DV of 30 to kill a typical character with 10 boxes of damage, with one shot and that's assuming he doesn't get a single success to resist.
Also I've noticed that none of my PCs were taking cover anymore during combat. My question to the community is this: does this rule break the game in some way? We've only implemented this house rule for one game, so it's hard to see if there is some sort of unbalancing effect that it may cause.
Full Version: damage target 4
DV 30? I think you're doing it wrong. You don't roll the DV. The DV is just a number that the person has to resist against. If I shoot you with a shotgun, you must resist DV 7, plus any net hits I get against you. I don't roll 7 dice to see how much damage I do.
Well, they actually mention it as an optional rule in the BBB, if i recall. But they had it under a more 'high action game'. So it WILL change the game, but it's going to be a bit more fast and furious...on BOTH sides.
Typical mook guards(around 250 BPs or so, you know, ratings in the 2-3 range for most stuff, a little armor, a jazz popper) will go from ''pretty easy, but still gotta be careful' to ''redshirts'' compared with a 400 BP runner. On the flipside of the coin, when that redshirt is now rolling 8 or so dice(6 plus smartlink), and has to hit a 4 instead, there will be a few more shots reaching the other side(but PCs, that i know of, are usually well protected.)
So yeah, you'll be looking at a more high-action game combat wise.
Now for non combat, say fixing/building things, you'll have to raise up thresholds if you want them to sweat to do the repair or whatnot, because a person with a good fixit dicepool will be able to whomp together engines rather quickly if all they have to hit is a 4.
Social 'battles' will be in a sense like the combat...both sides are gonna be hitting more. a PC social adept will be wiping the floor unless they go against other really social saavy people.
It will be a fully playable game, no doubt, but there will be things that are easier, and sometimes really dangerous. It might be good to do a 'test session', just get together with the group and play out some mock-scenarios with the new method and see how you like it.
And yeah, to touch on the DV:
Ok, guard with Pistols 3, Agility 3 and Smartlink throws 8 dice to hit the PC, who has an armor jacket. Regular ammo. Let's say no AP to keep it even. Gun does 5P. This means if the PC sits and takes it, he fills in 5 damage boxes, with no net hits. Say the guard rolls 3 hits(TN5), now it's up to 8. So 8 boxes will be filled...if the PC doesn't resist.
But first the PC can roll Reaction(or Reaction + Dodge or Gymnastics if full defense, lets say its regular), and gets 2 hits on his Reaction. So now the mook only has 1 net success, or 6P.
PC now rolls his Body 4 and his 8 Ballistic Armor dice. He gets 4 hits. The damage is NOW cut down by another 4, resulting in 2P. On top of all of this, since the power of the attack did not surpass the armor rating(the dodge cut it down to 6, and even then, it was only 8, and it has to BEAT the armor), the attack does Stun damage.
Typical mook guards(around 250 BPs or so, you know, ratings in the 2-3 range for most stuff, a little armor, a jazz popper) will go from ''pretty easy, but still gotta be careful' to ''redshirts'' compared with a 400 BP runner. On the flipside of the coin, when that redshirt is now rolling 8 or so dice(6 plus smartlink), and has to hit a 4 instead, there will be a few more shots reaching the other side(but PCs, that i know of, are usually well protected.)
So yeah, you'll be looking at a more high-action game combat wise.
Now for non combat, say fixing/building things, you'll have to raise up thresholds if you want them to sweat to do the repair or whatnot, because a person with a good fixit dicepool will be able to whomp together engines rather quickly if all they have to hit is a 4.
Social 'battles' will be in a sense like the combat...both sides are gonna be hitting more. a PC social adept will be wiping the floor unless they go against other really social saavy people.
It will be a fully playable game, no doubt, but there will be things that are easier, and sometimes really dangerous. It might be good to do a 'test session', just get together with the group and play out some mock-scenarios with the new method and see how you like it.
And yeah, to touch on the DV:
Ok, guard with Pistols 3, Agility 3 and Smartlink throws 8 dice to hit the PC, who has an armor jacket. Regular ammo. Let's say no AP to keep it even. Gun does 5P. This means if the PC sits and takes it, he fills in 5 damage boxes, with no net hits. Say the guard rolls 3 hits(TN5), now it's up to 8. So 8 boxes will be filled...if the PC doesn't resist.
But first the PC can roll Reaction(or Reaction + Dodge or Gymnastics if full defense, lets say its regular), and gets 2 hits on his Reaction. So now the mook only has 1 net success, or 6P.
PC now rolls his Body 4 and his 8 Ballistic Armor dice. He gets 4 hits. The damage is NOW cut down by another 4, resulting in 2P. On top of all of this, since the power of the attack did not surpass the armor rating(the dodge cut it down to 6, and even then, it was only 8, and it has to BEAT the armor), the attack does Stun damage.
Monk, you've got the combat rules wrong. You don't roll DV to inflict damage. Check SR4 again.
Ahh (clouds part and angels sing), I've seen the light! Thank y'all.
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