Rules Questions

[daddystabz]

I am a bit confused about a couple rules.

First off, I am not understanding the way ranges work for missile weapons. Can anyone give me an example using a short range pistol or something and show me the math please so I can understand?

In addition, I am not grokking the way burst fire works. The book says you get +30% when using it but it looks like on the modifiers table each subsequent bullet incurs penalties. So is it that your first shot is +30% and then each one after that incurs penalties to your base chance?

[sniderman]

First off, I am not understanding the way ranges work for missile weapons. Can anyone give me an example using a short range pistol or something and show me the math please so I can understand?

It's pretty straight-forward, actually. Let's say that you have a skill with Pistol and your DEX is 50. So 50% is your base score with a Pistol, plus another 15% due to your Specialist level. (Every named skill you possess starts at Specialist level.) So you have a 65% chance of hitting your target with a pistol. So, let's say you're using a revolver to hit that ghoul charging you. The revolver has a range modifier of -12 for every 10 feet away. So, from 1-10 feet, you get your 65% chance to hit. At 11-20 feet, you have a 53% chance. At 21-30 feet, you 41% chance, and so on. The "math" is "Take the range in feet, divide by 10, round up, subtract 1, and multiply by the modifier." So at a range of 25 feet:

25 / 10 = 2.5
Round up to 3
3-1 = 2
2 x -12 = -24
65 - 24 = 41% chance to hit.

And that's the range/number I've underlined above. You can either do the math, or just count off in increments of 10 feet and multiply by the range modifier.

In addition, I am not grokking the way burst fire works. The book says you get +30% when using it but it looks like on the modifiers table each subsequent bullet incurs penalties. So is it that your first shot is +30% and then each one after that incurs penalties to your base chance?

Not quite. You get a +30% bonus when firing a burst from an automatic weapon. But the trade-off is that your ammo depletes crazy-fast. And if you miss, you just wasted a lot of ammo. However, the multiple shots-per-round modifiers are not applicable to burst fire from an automatic weapon. That's for when someone is pulling the trigger on a normal handgun as quickly as possible to get more than one shot off in a round (like say at higher skill levels). So if you can fire three shots in a round with a handgun (let's take the 65% Pistol skill from before), your first shot is at 65%, your second is at 55% (-10), and the third is at 45% (-20). And that doesn't include any actions from the defender.

[daddystabz]

Thanks so much for the help. The second instance now makes total sense to me. I still think the ranges are a bit goofy though.

Let's say I'm using an automatic pistol and the target is at 200 yards. I know this is a pretty far range for such a weapon. So: 200/10 = 20. 20-1 = 19. 19 x -12 = -228, correct? So the player would take a -228 penalty to his/her shot at this range with an automatic pistol, effectively meaning he/she can't even take the shot.

First off, I am not understanding the way ranges work for missile weapons. Can anyone give me an example using a short range pistol or something and show me the math please so I can understand?

It's pretty straight-forward, actually. Let's say that you have a skill with Pistol and your DEX is 50. So 50% is your base score with a Pistol, plus another 15% due to your Specialist level. (Every named skill you possess starts at Specialist level.) So you have a 65% chance of hitting your target with a pistol. So, let's say you're using a revolver to hit that ghoul charging you. The revolver has a range modifier of -12 for every 10 feet away. So, from 1-10 feet, you get your 65% chance to hit. At 11-20 feet, you have a 53% chance. At 21-30 feet, you 41% chance, and so on. The "math" is "Take the range in feet, divide by 10, round up, subtract 1, and multiply by the modifier." So at a range of 25 feet:

25 / 10 = 2.5
Round up to 3
3-1 = 2
2 x -12 = -24
65 - 24 = 41% chance to hit.

And that's the range/number I've underlined above. You can either do the math, or just count off in increments of 10 feet and multiply by the range modifier.

In addition, I am not grokking the way burst fire works. The book says you get +30% when using it but it looks like on the modifiers table each subsequent bullet incurs penalties. So is it that your first shot is +30% and then each one after that incurs penalties to your base chance?

Not quite. You get a +30% bonus when firing a burst from an automatic weapon. But the trade-off is that your ammo depletes crazy-fast. And if you miss, you just wasted a lot of ammo. However, the multiple shots-per-round modifiers are not applicable to burst fire from an automatic weapon. That's for when someone is pulling the trigger on a normal handgun as quickly as possible to get more than one shot off in a round (like say at higher skill levels). So if you can fire three shots in a round with a handgun (let's take the 65% Pistol skill from before), your first shot is at 65%, your second is at 55% (-10), and the third is at 45% (-20). And that doesn't include any actions from the defender.

[sniderman]

Thanks so much for the help. The second instance now makes total sense to me. I still think the ranges are a bit goofy though.

Let's say I'm using an automatic pistol and the target is at 200 yards. I know this is a pretty far range for such a weapon. So: 200/10 = 20. 20-1 = 19. 19 x -12 = -228, correct? So the player would take a -228 penalty to his/her shot at this range with an automatic pistol, effectively meaning he/she can't even take the shot.

200 YARDS? That's one hell of a pistol you've got Ace McCrackshot. You probably meant 200 feet, which is still a crazy-nuts distance.

200 / 10 = 20

20 - 1 = 19

19 X -12 = -228 penalty, yes.

For Mr. Pistol, there's no WAY he's gonna hit a target 200 feet away with a pistol. But let's take his friend over there, Mr. Big-Ass Rifle. Mr. Big-Ass Rifle is also at a DEX of 50 at a Specialist level, so he has the same 65%. But his big-ass rifle -- an actual long-range weapon -- has a range modifier of -0.5.

200 / 10 = 20

20 - 1 = 19

19 x -0.5 = -9.5 (I round up to -10)

So with a rifle, he has a 55% chance of hitting your target 200 feet away. Right tool for the job, and all that.

[daddystabz]

Feet, yes. Sorry! LOL

P.S. I'm in the Ohio area too....in Columbus. We should get together and play some Cryptworld!

[Goblinoid Games]

Everything Tim says is absolutely correct, but a house rule to simplify is just to deal with the distances in whole increments rather than account for every foot. So 10 to19 feet for example would be the same modifier, then would go up at 20 feet, etc.

[daddystabz]

Next question, Escaping From Melee: I know this applies when you flee a melee via running but what if you are simply walking out of range of the person in melee with you? Does that NPC still get a free attack on your backside?

[sniderman]

Next question, Escaping From Melee: I know this applies when you flee a melee via running but what if you are simply walking out of range of the person in melee with you? Does that NPC still get a free attack on your backside?

Are you kidding? If you're just leisurely walking away from melee, you'd be lucky if I didn't let the NPC get TWO attacks! A retreat is a retreat Ala "attacks of opportunity" in Those Other Games. Just better be a fast retreat. A slow one will get you mauled.

[daddystabz]

My thinking too but wanted to clarify because believe it or not in another game I just read before this one it actually only worked if you ran away.

Next question, Escaping From Melee: I know this applies when you flee a melee via running but what if you are simply walking out of range of the person in melee with you? Does that NPC still get a free attack on your backside?

Are you kidding? If you're just leisurely walking away from melee, you'd be lucky if I didn't let the NPC get TWO attacks! A retreat is a retreat Ala "attacks of opportunity" in Those Other Games. Just better be a fast retreat. A slow one will get you mauled.