1.3 Ruleset Development

[Gravedust]

Okay, so here are some thing I've been thinning about, and I'd like to get your input on them if you have any and feel like it.

• Introducing electrical stuff as part of the game mechanics.

Basically, instead of having more or less everything in the game be powered by steam (well, pneumatic pressure, really) I'm considering introducing things like electrical engines for vehicles, and sort of an electro/magnetic engine for airships, as well as having some Modifications on player items run by electricity instead of bottled pressure.

In the case of personal items, electric modifications or weapons would run off a portable battery (like the air tanks are used now) OR in the case of weapons MAY still use 'clips' which are really disposable batteries.

In the case of larger Electric/Magnetic airship engines they would run off a Capacitor compartment (basically a battery room) which would work in a way similar to a Pressure tank. The Capacitor Compartment would charge off of a Turbine (Functionally identical to a Boiler) so overall the system is larger and more complex.

Electric/magnetic engines would be lighter but more expensive than steam engines. Additionally the engines could be placed anywhere in relation to the Capacitor. (Steam Engines are limited to being 4 or less compartments away from a Boiler)

Steam/electric engined hybrid ships would be ruled out because.. well because it's be a huge pain in the ass to do..

E/M engines could also share some tamer Malfunction effects.

This may also necessitate splitting the Mechanical skill up into 2 separate skills:

+Mechanical Engineering
+Electrical Engineering

Also a greater number of personal Modifications will have overcharge effect or require M.Engineering or E.Engineering rolls to activate special effects.

================================

UPDATE TO COMBAT SYSTEM

Com Tac now works like Initiative. The Order of combat will be posted and then players will issue their orders.

ALL CHARACTERS' DEFENSIVE ACTIONS (Dodge, Take Cover, Return Fire, etc) WILL GO INTO EFECT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE ROUND, but Attack or Move actions will not happen until the character's turn.

Opposed Com Tac tolls will still be used for things like sneak attacks, etc.


====================================================
====================================================
UPDATED ITEM CREATION

All Items now have an additional socket for stats and Modifications.

The Max Stat Bonus for all items has been approximately doubled for all slots

THE CURRENT ITEM LIST IS SUPER INVALID AND NEEDS TO BE REBUILT.
I'll start on that once I've had a chance to make sure everything is balanced-ish.
======================================================

UPDATED FIREARM WEAPONS:

+Slug Thrower
Basically the guns we have in now. Very little about these is changing. Damage range (2-20)

+Lightning Gun
Does damage that ignores Toughness gained from armor (However some modifications may add electrical insulation)
In general does less damage than a regular gun, (1-15)
Comes in Pistol and Rifle sizes

+Sonic Gun
Disorients the target, adding a negative penalty to all rolls if it hits. Rifle-size versions can have AOE capabilities.
Does 1 point of damage, Disorientation roll penalty (10-30) Disorientation Effect can be resisted by base Toughness and automatically reduces by 10 per round.

+Death Ray
Expensive and hard to find (and very illegal). Ignores Armor toughness. Damage range (2-20)

+Flamethrowers
Heavy Sized AOE weapon. Starts fires, as you might expect it would.


UPDATED MELEE WEAPONS
+Swashbuckling bonus cap has been increased to make hand-to-hand attacks more effective.

+Attackers will not suffer damage from 'parries' on a failed melee roll. The roll just fails. (Though this functionality may be restored through a Special Skill?)

+Need to do something with the melee system to make it more interesting….


THE WEAPONSMITHING SPECIAL STAY MAY BE BROKEN UP INTO A NUMBER OF SUBCATEGORIES.

===========================================================

NEW SPECIAL SKILL

+Bio-mechanical Engineering:

This allows the grafting of mechanical parts to the human form, to either augment or fully replace limbs or organs.

Mechanical enhancements/replacements count (usually) as buffs, though they have to be maintained on a daily basis which is expensive and requires skill on the part of the person using them, or someone else. If not properly maintained the buffs turn into equivalent penalties.

Enhancement slots include:

Head
Chest
Arms
Legs
Feet

..I'll work out exactly how this is going to work later. >.> It may require a new section on the character sheet.

============================================================


POSSIBLE ADJUSTMENT TO DAMAGE SYSTEM.:

Player Health pools may be increased to 1-20 instead of 1-10. Weapon damage and wounded penalties will be scaled correspondingly.

Basically the problem is with Toughness rolls.. Any character can soak up to 10 points of damage if they get a lucky roll, which tends to make firearms a little ineffective especially the low end of the damage scale. To counter this I made the soak rate for guns and swords and other forms of 'direct' damage be different than for things like explosions and shrapnel, etc.

Guns and Swords: [D100+Toughness] / 20
Everything else: [D100+Toughness] /10

I'd like to use the same soak rate for everything be /10 so it can be uniform, but to do so I need to do.. Something… I need to do some maths on this but I thiiiiiink I have a solution.

[brendur]

"+Need to do something with the melee system to make it more interesting…."

If I might make a suggestion, how about when players reach a certain level of swashbuckling skill they can opt to be trained in certain schools of combat? These schools would carry inherent bonuses and penalties depending on the conditions of the fight. Perhaps even a special maneuver. As an example:

Dale was taught how to handle a sword at the New York Marine Academy, who's motto is "If the enemy doesn't have any ground to stand on, they can't kick you in the ass." Their style of swordplay focuses on constantly putting the enemy on the defensive, ideal for boarding parties, and taking enemy strongholds. However many critics of the style tend to note, if you're always on the offensive, you're never prepared to defend.

Conditions: a bonus to swashbuckling if this character is attempting to board someone else's ship, or on enemy territory (this is left to gm discretion), on the flipside, if they are attempting to hold ground or defend their own ship they take a penalty.

Maneuver - "No Shield? You'll do!": When you're always charging forwards it's hard to find cover, so what better cover to use than the enemy themselves? This maneuver allows the character to make a contested swashbuckling roll against any character that is in melee range. If he succeeds in this roll by more than 20 he adds that characters size modifier to any defense attempts he makes for that round.

These are of course just examples, I know you're in to keeping things simple.

[jazzs3quence]

+1 to brendur's vote for special skills. Also sort of goes in line with the boons/flaws thing-o.

I'd also vote in favor of bumping health from 10 to 20 and scaling weapons accordingly.

There would need to be some kind of prereq. for bio-mech engineering...that's the sort of science that takes a lifetime of study to come even close to, so it would need to be adequately difficult to have (you can't just say "i'm going to be a mad scientist today" and throw a bunch of points into bio-mech and suddenly have all that knowledge). Other than that, I'm for it...it'll just be tricky and with the areas for mechanical limbs on the character sheet, would make things a lot more complex...maybe an alternate character sheet for characters who have mechanical limbs, and keep the basic one for most peeps. (and if you lose a limb in combat and get it replaced by a mechanical one, you can port your stats over)

[Gravedust]

Hmmm… I really like Bren's idea bout using Stat levels as a prerequisite for special moves, actually. So in addition to better attack numbers people with high combat skills will have better tactical options as well.

Me gusta mucho, that definitely goes in. y'all can help me thing up some more special moves too.. It needn't be restricted to just combat skills either...

I think the 20 health level business will go in also, I ran some tests with it yesterday and it seems to work about how I want it to. Weapon damage / swashbuckling bonuses will also shoot up to compensate.

It may have an odd effect on medical rolls, though, I'll have to investigate that and maybe change some things. On the flipside it may also take care of the problem wherein a very skilled or lucky medical roll can make someone go from basically half-dead to fully healthy… I had to write some weird rules in the original version to keep that from happening, (Though it could and did happen in the simplified SA ruleset)


Bio-mechanics is a Special Stat, so you'll have to devote 1 of your 2 skills to it. It's probably a rare field of study though (unlike the SA game) it's not so uncommon that it's unheard of, so I don't think it needs to have a prereq per se, it'll be something you'll have as a character at char creation (and hopefully would be explained in your char's background) Unless you wanted to buy off a Special Stat and then buy a new one, which would take a while.

Adding a section for mechanical limbs I don't think will be too much of a hassle, a lot of the sections are a little big anyway so I can just compress it in a few places and add a small section for it once I figure it out. I think all that'll be required is a list of the slots so you can mark what's been modified and what the modifications are…

Another addition i've already made to the char sheet is a section that tracks temporary and permanent buffs/debuffs.

So anyway. Yeah. Things are moving along.

I should mention that part of the reason I wanted to put electrical motors in is because I plan on building the ability to make pivotable mechs and other walking machines into the vehicle system. :3


So I take it nobody has problems with the introduction of electricity and electromagnetism into the mix of things?

I don't think I'll have the chance to do much work today, but I hope to get a lot done next week. Thanks so much for your opinions and suggestions and keep 'em up if you can think of anything else.

[Gravedust]

AAARRRGH!! MY MATH!!! MY PRECIOUS MATH!!!

RUINED.

Bleh. I forgot the way I'd done the firearms creation thing was really tightly done. I'm trying to modify it but coming up with some ugly snags, lots of divide-by-twos and weird Difficulty results and crud like that.

: / It makes me shake my little fist in anger, I like things to be a little more elegant. I loved the first gun creation system because you could basically do it on your fingers it was so damn simple.

But I'll figure something out. Probabaly. May have to just scrap the whole thing (nooooo) and go from scratch.

But anyway yeah. work still being done.. I know I said things would be ready to play with soon, but... eh.. no, not so much, apparently.

In the meantime things like background traits and stuff can go on unimpeded so let me know if you think of anything...

[Gravedust]

WHew

Howdy y'all.

I'm getting some work done, thoughit may not look like it.. still chewing slowly on the weapons section, though I expect things'll pick up somewhat after that.

I've actually been getting a lot of work done.. Just on the WRONG DAMN GAME. I've made some great progress on SDS. WHich of course has nothgin todo with SP! and can't be played over a forum.. So.. blerrgh. But the muse seems to have turned me onto that particular project for whatever reason lately, and I'm actually really happy with how it's come out so far.

ANYWAY.

Progress is still being made, like I said, so stay tuned, I guess. >.> I shoudl have something worth talking about soonn...

[brendur]

Alright, so’s I wrote up a few more examples of skill schools as well as some basic rules to how they would work. It’s only a few schools but I can keep working on them if you wish.

Here’s the skinny: Each skill has a number of schools of training, each of these schools have modifiers and two maneuvers that they are known for. Modifiers are conditional bonuses and detriments applied to the skill depending on the situation in which the skill is used. Maneuvers are much more powerful actions that allows the character to perform otherwise impossible feats. At level 25 of a skill a character can opt to be trained in one of the schools of that skill. This initial training would cost 10 xp, require training from another character or npc, and only give the character access to the modifiers of that school. After that, at skill levels 50 and 100 the player can then be trained in the school’s maneuvers, at 5 xp each.

The Erstwhile Quick Draw Academy (Musketry) – This is less of a formal academy in the States and more of a spawning of style following the footsteps of a legendary pioneer named Erstwhile Jacobs. Famous for his rowdy nature and the speed of his draw, following his death at the hands of a law posse came a strange series of duels in which gun fanatics were attempting to prove themselves better than…or at least his equal. The clamor after his death has of course died down, however there’s at least always one town talking about a duel in his name, and countless gunslingers claiming he imparted with them his secrets on his deathbed.

Modifier- Anyone trained in this school, receives a +10 modifier to their Marksmanship against any npc or player that they beat in combat tactics. On the flipside, the action of taking aim only provides a +5 bonus, since this training focuses less on accuracy and more on speed.
Manuevers:

Veteran: Trickshot – making trick shots are much easier with this training. Shots concerning inanimate objects (flipping a switch, shooting a rope, knocking someone’s hat off their head without harming them) can be made without making a roll, provided they are in a reasonable distance, and the player devotes an action to the shot. Shot’s against players or npcs (Disarming them, shooting the pin out of a grenade still in someone’s hand) are made at a +10 advantage. Note this bonus only applies to trick shots…it must be impressive.

Elite: Boot Rattler – The gunslinger doesn’t bother with anything fancy, instead delivering a bullet straight to their target’s solar plexus, letting the full force of the shot spread throughout the body. In effect, after damage has been determined, the target of this shot must make a second toughness roll against his attacker’s musketry or be blown back a compartment.

The Sandhurst Snipers Academy (Musketry)– While many countries will make light of Victoriana’s waning military might and the pompous nature of their ranks, they will never make light of its snipers. Victorian snipers are considered some of the most lethal and methodical of their kind, mostly due to the efforts of the Sandhurst Military Academy.

Modifier – students of this school are provided with twice the bonus to Taking Aim (+20) than usual, the detriment however is that they suffer a -5 to Musketry when they try to use pistols on account of their headmasters thinking that relying on a pistol is “Silly Statesman flim flam”

Maneuvers:

Veteran: Called Shot – the sniper can make a called shot to either the legs, arms, or head of his victim, each with vary difficulties and effects.

Leg Shot (-10 to Musketry) – The victims movement is halved for a number of turns equal to damage dealt.

Arm Shot( -20 to Musketry) – The victim receives a -10 penalty to any action involving his hands for a number of turns equal to damage dealt.

Head Shot(-30 to Musketry)- for the purposes of soaking damage for this shot, the victim’s soak roll is halved.

Elite: Pipping the Ace- This Sniper is a master of the long shot, so much that he or she knows that you don’t always have to hit a live target to accomplish your mission, sometimes you just have to get your point across. With this shot he can put the fear of god into anyone looking to join the fight, firing a shot that states to them in no small terms that there is a sniper out there with their number. Treat the Musketry roll as a contested Intimidation roll against any in the compartment, they may all try to contest it but only the highest score will be taken into account for the group. If the Sniper succeeds, divide the difference between his roll and the highest contested roll by 10, the group spends that many rounds cowering in cover. This effect can only happen once per combat

Example: Will spots a group of hulking musculars coming through the cargo door of his ship, wherein his captain and fellow shipmates are entangled in combat. Taking aim, he uses Pipping the Ace and ricochets a bullet next to the leader of the group’s head. His roll for the shot is 40, added to his Musketry that’s 140, the leader rolls Impress to try and keep the group together, getting a 50, but only have a score of 20 in Impress, so his score is 70. 140 – 70 = 70. 70/10 = 7. That’s seven rounds that the muscular will spend cowering in cover.

The Stateside Academy of Irregular Combat (Swashbuckling) – the Stateside Irregulars enjoy the status of “Bogeymen” both on and off the battlefield, largely due to the rumors surrounding their methods and training, and the high success of their tactics. They encourage the rumors, but that doesn’t mean they don’t always live up to them (some make a point of killing with kitchen utensils just to do so). All Irregulars are well versed in the dogma of winning at all costs, and while their methods are seen by many as crude, they are no doubt effective
.
Modifier – if the Irregular starts the fight by successfully sneak attacking or ambushing someone (Dm’s discretion about the definition of success.) then enjoy a +10 modifier to their swashbuckling for that fight. Conversely, they receive a -5 modifier when fighting in formal duels, as most Irregulars aren’t trained in the formal rules surrounding such an event.

Manuevers:
Veteran: 2nd Amendment – an Irregular is never unarmed…ever. With this maneuver they can fashion a melee weapon out of anything that they can pick up, from piping torn off walls to wet silk stripped off a woman’s back. The weapon’s effectiveness is determined by their unaltered Swashbuckling score divided by 10 rounded down and added to 5. It lasts for the scene as these kinds of weapons won’t last from prolonged use. Example: Nick has just bust out of prison and needs to make a weapon out of the warden’s chair, he’s got a 65 in swashbuckling, so effectively the chair acts as a + 11 weapon. Once he’s out of the prison he’ll have to discard the chair though…as bloody chairs draw attention.

Elite: Silent but Deadly – An Irregular can depend on their swashbuckling instead of their combat tactics to achieve a sneak attack.

St. Illiana’s Academy of Field Medicine (Medicine)- Before the State’s aggressive expansion south a number of nunneries could be found beyond the borders. In surprising response to their warring neighbors, the nuns opened their doors to any and all wounded. The nuns of St. Illiana’s were praised for their near miraculous ability to heal the sick and wounded with little to no supplies on hand, and as a result they became a popular way station for many troops. Though most of the nunneries were wiped out during the expansion, an Academy was founded by the fleeing nuns in Concordia, where they continue to practice for the general public.

Modifier- a student of St. Illiana’s works best in the worst of conditions, if there is no hospital or work table present, they are granted a +10 bonus to their Medicine rolls. However since they have little to no chance to work in theoretical medicine, students of this school get a -5 modifier when working with new or cutting edge medical equipment or procedures.

Manuevers:
Veteran: Steady Drip- with the use of IV’s and needles this doctor can transfer health between crewman at a ratio of 1 to 1. If she uses her own health to do this the ratio becomes one to two.
Example: Phil is almost dying at 1 health point so the medic Paulita hooks herself up with him to provide him with some much needed blood, she sacrificed 3 points of her own health, and Phil ends up with 6 more health points.

Elite: Heart Massage- If a character has been reduced to dying (by any means that leaves his body in tact) and the medic manages to get to them in time ( DM discretion) then the medic can choose to attempt cracking open their chest and massaging their heart to get it moving again. (I’m not sure how the mechanics of this would work…need to mull it over a bit more.)

[Gravedust]

Holy hell, I like all of that.

The one think I'm not sure on so far is how it would be implemented.. Giving the Maneuvers a specific location, etc of origin (I do really like you background info on all that, though, it adds a lot of flavor) seems to limit where a character could wind up actually getting those skills, so those may need to be made a little more general. But that's rather a minor concern and we can worry about that later. The only other thingg is we'll need somewhere for these maneuvers, etc. to be listed.. but again.. Pretty minor.

But I love some of the gameplay alterations and conditions you've come up with. I think you really understand how the system works.. or is supposed to, anyway. >.>

So yeah, keep on truckin', for as long as it makes you happy. I love what you've come up with so far.

Tonight I think I'm gonna try to do some build testing on the updated slug-thrower gun rules and the new electric guns I just statted, and start repopulating zee weapon lists...

Pew pew.

[brendur]

Well the origins and descriptions are more or less just to fit the mechanic in the world. When player Joe Bob asks Mary Sue why she's having so much trouble with the hyperdrive converter she's got a little background to explain it with. As it's a world full of cast aways, out casts, and the general dregs of society, I wouldn't think someone would have to travel TO the area the school was born in to learn it. There's always the one guy who left in a huff cause he didn't see eye to eye with his teachers.

Really I just threw in that it needs to be trained by a PC or NPc to 1.) emphasize knowledge in a school distinguishes this person from everyone out there that has the skill. 2.) give the dm some room to keep the really crazy stuff out of the hands of crazy players . A control clause that lets you dish out or reign in what you want in your game.

[Gravedust]

Ah.. yeah I can see where you are coming from with that. I agree that the picking up of such a special ability should be the result of -some- event, not just like "well I decided to blow the CP and buy this today, yep-" I guess how exactly it works out can be up to the players and GMs, but we can certainly leave the explanations and backstory up in case they need a little help.

If you wanted to further flesh out the organizations and such that you mentioned than go right ahead. I'm finding you have a really solid sense of worldbuilding.

One thing that I would also like to make sure is included -somewhere- are the other more traditional 'Top hats and canes' thematic flavors of victorian writing in addition to all the other grittier stuff. But we can worry about that later, still got a long way to go yet and there'll be plenty of room to jam that in.

[jazzs3quence]

Jun 14, 2011 18:20:58 GMT -8 Gravedust said:

One thing that I would also like to make sure is included -somewhere- are the other more traditional 'Top hats and canes' thematic flavors of victorian writing in addition to all the other grittier stuff. But we can worry about that later, still got a long way to go yet and there'll be plenty of room to jam that in.

That's more or less the world where erin and I were coming from with Dexter and Claire -- kids with a privileged background that were outcast from their family fortune.

[brendur]

I figured the Victorian Empire would cover that aspect of the game, no doubt they're probably getting the most out of this era since they're at the head of the industrial revolution. From the shorts you've written on the countries I figured this is how they would be divied up as far as mood and setting.

Victorian Empire- the aforementioned top hats, clockwork, as steampunky as steam punk gets.

The States - Western/Civil War

Concordia - now you say communism that works, but in my head I'm still imagining a sort of coal fog era Russia. Is this right?

Nippon - I'm getting a kind of mix between the bamboo and firecracker era that was in "Jade Empire" with a bit more sleek technology. Of course since the island is closed off that never really has to be decided.

[Gravedust]

Correct on all counts.

...Did I say that about Concordia? Actually Concordia is basically a massive clusterfuck of a country, but they do a pretty good job of covering that up most of the time and their army is just so goddamn big that everyone has to treat them seriously.

But yeah it's supposed to be almost comical how poorly things work over there, institutions and machines, and how cheaply the lives of their citizens are valued. (Take a look at the Goliath, for instance.. 20+ crew and NO escape hatches. =P)

For Nippon I'm leaning towards them being slightly more advanced technologically than the rest of the world.. They took their isolationaism a different way and instead of shrinking away from the world they instead tried to outdo it.


..But on the other hand I do sort of like the idea of the 'bamboo and firecracker; are you describe.. maybe we could move that to China instead...

Oh and Savelle and Amvere are basically France and Germany, respectively. though their geographies are pretty different, Savelle is an island nation, and Amvere borders Concordia. ...Not that it matters too much.

[Gravedust]

Oh yeah:

Guns!

Here's the updated formula::

FIREARMS:::
+++Variables+++
Calibre (Damage) = 5-40
Shots = 1-40
Accuracy Bonus = 0-40
-----

DIFFICULTY:
[[Calibre] x [Shots]] + [Accuracy Bonus]] /2

SIZE::
If the Gun's Difficulty is 25 order lower, the gun is Size 1
If the Gun's Difficulty is between 26-50, the gun is Size 2
If the result is over 50 then the weapon Size 3 and a Long Gun.

COST:
Handgun Cost = [[Calibre + Ammo + Accuracy Bonus] x10]] [+Modification Cost]
((For Long guns, add Difficulty to Final price))

RELOAD:
Reload Cost = [[Calibre] x [Ammo]] / 2
Reload Rarity = [Calibre]
All Reloads are Size 1

==============================
And here are some I made last night as testers:

==================
-----------------------
Name: ########
Type: Handgun
Size: #
Calibre: #
Ammo: #
Reload: (Cost: ##, Rarity #)
Accuracy: #
Rarity: ##
Cost: ##
Description:
-------------------------
==============
-----------------------
Name: SNS Mk.1
Type: Handgun
Size: 1
Calibre: 8
Ammo: 6
Reload: (Cost: $24, Rarity 8)
Accuracy: -8
Rarity: 24
Cost: $140
Description:
-------------------------


-----------------------
Name: BG Arms Solitaire
Type: Handgun
Size: 1
Calibre: 10
Ammo: 4
Reload: (Cost: $20, Rarity 10)
Accuracy: -10
Rarity: 20
Cost: $140
Description: A compact firearm with a signature snub barrel.
-------------------------
-------------------------
Name: Hawker Mk. 3
Type: Handgun
Size: 2
Calibre: 15
Ammo: 5
Reload: (Cost: $38, Rarity 15)
Accuracy: 0
Rarity: 45
Cost: $350
Description: A powerful semi-automatic gun fed by a clip.
-------------------------
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Name: Clevinger Peacekeeper
Type: Handgun
Size: 2
Calibre: 12
Ammo: 6
Reload: (Cost: $36, Rarity 12)
Accuracy: +10
Rarity: 47
Cost: $400
Description: A massive long-barelled revolver, renowned for it's craftsmanship and accuracy. Popular amongst frontier law enforcement.
-------------------------
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Name: Mauler K-20
Type: Handgun
Size: 2
Calibre: 20
Ammo: 4
Reload: (Cost: $40, Rarity 20)
Accuracy: -10
Rarity: 40
Cost: $340
Description: A large and fearsomely powerful handgun.
-------------------------

=============
::LONG GUNS::::
=============
-----------------------
Name: Imperial Arms R10
Type: Long Gun
Size: 3
Calibre: 15
Ammo: 10
Reload: (Cost: $75, Rarity 15)
Accuracy: 0
Rarity: 83
Cost: $483
Description: A well-built rifle that sees common use amongst Victoriana's forces.
-------------------------
-----------------------
Name: Imperial Arms R10 Marksman
Type: Long gun
Size: 3
Calibre: 15
Ammo: 10
Reload: (Cost: $75, Rarity 15)
Accuracy: +25
Rarity: 95
Cost: $745
Description: A special version of the Imperial R10 with a longer barrel and upgraded materials to make it suitable for sharpshooters.
-------------------------


So yeah.. I think it works, pretty much. :3

Next I'll be working on the electric ranged weapons... I wil admit I'm having some trouble figuring out exactly how I want them to work out.. but I'm getting through it...

[Gravedust]

Rat-tat-tat! Bow bang Kaboom!!

Decided to get into heavy weapons, finally. First up we have my machine gun analogues I sort of half-assed the flavor writeup, I'll fix it later but you get the idea, hopefully.:

The damage in a lot of cases is lower than single-shot weapons, but they earn their bread and butter by attacking groups, and they ought to be able to just about shred light or unarmored vehicles... The ammo counts are also pretty low so if you use one you can expect to be reloading pretty often, and you'll have to have a lot of room for ammo... But in the right situation I think they'll still be pretty invaluable. You just have to wait for the right moment...


::REPEATERS::
Repeaters are heavy weapons, automated rifles that are capable of a very high rate of fire. Instead of firing a single shot they fire a stream of bullets in rapid succession. Generally they are employed against lightly armored vehicles or large groups of attackers..

When a Repeater is fired, it targets a ground square, and all characters in that square have a chance to be hit.

Formula for Characters in a square under attack by a repeater:
D100 [+Agility] - [Total Size] Vs. [Firepower of Repeater] + [Attacker's Heavy Weapons]

On a successful roll, the character avoids damage, on a failure they take damage according to the Calibre of the Repeater. If a character is Taking Cover, they add the Cover modifier to their defensive roll.

A -10 penalty is applied to the Attacker's roll for every square the attacker is from the target square.

Most Vehicles are large enough that it's difficult to avoid being hit by repeater fire, and most will be struck several times by a burst.
Formula For vehicles: ((EVALUATE ONCE VEHICLE RULES ARE COMPLETED))
Attacker's D100 [+Heavy Weapons] + [Firepower] /10 = Number of hits taken by vehicle.

Repeaters can also be mounted on vehicles. (though this is done in vehicle creation)

-----
Repeaters have a size of 4 if they are 80 Rarity or lower, 5 if above.

Reloads are Size 2.

Repeaters are equipped in the Back slot.

All Repeaters have 3 Modifications sockets.
-----


====================================================
::BUILD FORMULA::

+Variables+
Calibre: (1-30)
Firepower: (1-80)
Ammo: (##)

==========

+Derivatives+
Difficulty/Rarity: [Calibre x Ammo] + Firepower
Cost: [Calibre + Ammo + Firepower] x 10

Ammo Cost: [Calibre x Ammo] x 2
Ammo Rarity: [Calibre x 4]
====================================================


==================
TEMPLATE
==================
-----------------------
Name: ########
Type: Repeater
Size: #
Calibre: #
Firepower: #
Ammo: #
Reload: (Cost: ##, Rarity #)
Rarity: ##
Cost: ##
Description:
-------------------------

==================
SAMPLES
==================

-----------------------
Name: Hotchiss M1
Type: Repeater
Size: 4
Calibre: 12
Firepower: 50
Ammo: 2
Reload: (Cost: $48, Rarity 48)
Rarity: 74
Cost: $640
Description: A simple, mass-produced repeats that sees frequent military use.
-------------------------
-----------------------
Name: Stalwart Arms Avenger
Type: Repeater
Size: 5
Calibre: 15
Firepower: 60
Ammo: 2
Reload: (Cost: $60, Rarity 60)
Rarity: 90
Cost: $740
Description: A powerful weapon often most commonly found with bands of experienced soldiers or mounted on vehicles.
-------------------------
-----------------------
Name: Mauler KR
Type: Repeater
Size: 5
Calibre: 20
Firepower: 60
Ammo: 2
Reload: (Cost: $80, Rarity 80)
Rarity: 100
Cost: $820
Description: A large and fearsome weapon that never made it past the prototype stage. However there are a few in existence.
-------------------------
-----------------------
Name: Loxley Co. 'Peashooter'
Type: Repeater
Size: 5
Calibre: 10
Firepower: 80
Ammo: 1
Reload: (Cost: $20, Rarity 40)
Rarity: 90
Cost: $910
Description: A small-bore repeater famous for it's precision and very high rate of fire. However it chews through it's ammo compliment very quickly.
-------------------------
-----------------------
Name: Imperial Arms SSW
Type: Repeater
Size: 4
Calibre: 10
Firepower: 50
Ammo: 4
Reload: (Cost: $80, Rarity 40)
Rarity: 90
Cost: $640
Description: The Squad Support Weapon is a light repeater intended to be used to provide covering fire during infantry assaults. It has a larger than average ammo capacity.
-------------------------

[jazzs3quence]

You said that repeaters have a low ammo count. What about automatic weapons that have an ammo chain or like old-style tommy guns?


fig. a


fig. b

(i was afraid of the military websites I found when I googled ammo chain so I went with a lego theme...)

[Gravedust]

Yar. In the case of actual repeaters (my of a repeater idea is closer to the 1st pic than the tommy gun.. though the SSW functions a bit like one I guess...) the ammo isn't measured in actual bullets but rather 'bursts' since you're basically holding down the trigger and spraying, so you may actually be firing 50-100 bullets in one action and that's considered a 'shot' for a repeater. (These are of course coming out of a box or a drum mag or what have you) So you may only have enough ammo for 1 or 2 (or 4, in one case) sustained bursts before you are dry. You can always just reload, though. (takes only 1 action, like regular guns) You just have to have some space available for extra ammo, or someone to help you carry it around.

This isn't really accurate to how machine guns really work but it's for gameplay purposes. Aside from working well on large mobs of bad guys, like I said, repeaters ought to just SHRED light and unarmored vehicles. I think it'll be balanced in the long run, but if it's not.. hey, it can always be changed.

I am thinking of adding an Extended Magazine Modification that'll add 1 extra burst worth of ammunition to a repeater, si maybe that'll help too.

[jazzs3quence]

That makes sense as far as infrastructure and such. The different variants can always come out in the flava text.

[Gravedust]

Hehe.. Yeah I may change the "Ammo:" entry to be "Bursts:" instead to ease confusion on that count.

"...Yeah it's a machine gun, but it only fires 1 bullet. ...Wat?"

And maybe we can put in some sort of BS about how they haven't figured out proper interruptible firing mechanisms, so firing a Repeater is a lot like setting off a line of firecrackers... You hit the trigger and you're committed to firing off X number of shots. But anyway it's not a gun you want to take to a bar fight... : / Aaanyway we'll figure something out... I'm thinking I may also have to adjust the range penalty.. because a good repeater and a good H.Weapons skills mean you can be looking at a 100-160 Difficulty to avoid having your character chopped up by one of these things.. The damage isn't so bad in most cases, but it'll still ruin your day considering most guns can fire twice in 1 round before they have to reload. So I may increase the penalty to -20 per square to the target, rather than -10.

We'll see!

Fiddling around with the electric weapons. I aaalllmmmoosst have it working except my current formulas make it possible to shoot a big blast for a very low charge cost so I gotta find a way to fix that but keep things simple.

But so far Lightning guns are shaping up to be:
• 10-20 damage, it's hard to make a handgun that does better than 10 and most guns seem to wind up as Long Guns. (But remember the damage is only soakable through Base Toughness, it ignores armor so less damage will get you further.

• More expensive than you average gun

• Pretty inaccurate (it is electricity after all, it goes where it wants..) Instead of having a standard -10 accuracy penalty per square to the target, it varies from gun to gun. (anywhere from 10-30 or 40, making it a bitch at long range. The more powerful the shot the more it tends to spread)

So.. I need to mess with the formulas a bit more, but we're making progress.. At least I know how I want them to work now..

[jazzs3quence]

Oooh! There should be a failure modifier thingie so that if you roll really bad and there's something metal between you and your target, the electricity veers off and hits that instead (frying some electronics, causing some collateral damage, whatever). Basically enforcing the idea that these things are really freaking dangerous, kids!

[Gravedust]

I was actually fiddling with the idea of malfunction states for weapons a little earlier... But for now I'm just gonna K.I.S.S. it. Maybe there'll be room for that later though, that would be fun...

Or maybe something like if your firearms roll is low enough that you get like a roll result of <20 while shooting some bad shit happens? Something built into the firing roll so you don't have to roll a bunch of times... It would make sense to use E.Engineering, but you don't roll than when you're shooting... ...Or maybe you could, for lightning guns... Hmmmnnnn.....

[Gravedust]

Huuuuuuuuuuuutrrrrghhh.. I am getting motherfucking sick of these motherfucking lighting fucking guns not fucking working. Ima give it a few more tries, then just give it a miss and come back to it later, it's holding up the fun train... Bleeh.

Howevah, while I was busy not getting anything useful done with SP! I actually got a LOT of work done on SDS.. To the point where it's basically ready for playtesting.. I'd invite you all to help except It's not meant for forum play.. There's too much back-and-forth ability use to make it practical.

But Yeaaaahh... Anyway things are still trucking along though they've snagged up a bit.

[Gravedust]

Okay okay.. I think I may have figured out the lightning Guns FINALLY.

I need to test a bit more at the extreme spectrums of the stat ranges but I think this ought to work, by and large.

First some trivia:

Lit.Guns don't use ammo like slug throwers. they pull charge off of a battery the user has to have equipped (in the belt slot) Battery charge depends on size:
Size 1: 1-50 Charge
Size 2: 51-100 Charge
Size 3: 101-150 Charge
Size 4: 150-200 Charge

(Batteries are used to power a bunch of different things as well.)

The firing of a lightning gun is more about getting the gun to arc it's electricity into what you want as opposed to what you don't want. This is more of a function of knowing about electrical behavior and being able to fiddle dials in the right way, rather than pointing the barrel (really more of a tuning fork looking thing in my mind) in the right direction. As a result, Lightning guns use the ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING rather than FIREARMS skill. This may be subject to change, but it seems like fun so I'm putting it on for now.

Gun sizes work the same as with Slug throwers, dependent on Rarity/difficulty. 1-25 Size 1, 26-50 = size 2 50+ Size 3.
(size 1, 2 are handguns, size 3 are long arms, here called Lightning Pistol and Lightning Gun respectively)

So yep. into da meat:

====================================================

::BUILD FORMULA::


====SET 2 2 VARIABLES AMP/FOCUS=======================
+Variables+
Amperage: (1-30) ((This is DAMAGE))
Focus: (##)

+Derivatives+

Dispersion: [Amperage x3 ] - [Focus] ((Dispersion may never lower than 10))

((DISPERSION IS A STACKING ACCURACY PENALY THAT APPLIES FOR EVERY SQUARE TO THE TARGET INCLUDING THE SQUARE OF ORIGINATION. Basically they suck at hitting anything, and the more power is involved, the harder it is to get them to fire without jumping to something you don't want. Most of the sample guns I made have pretty shitty dispersion, but that's because I was testing the edges of the performance curves. It shouldn't be too hard to make a decent gun with around a -10 or -15, which isn't much worse than some regular guns. But good luck using any lightning gun at significant range....))
-
Charge: [Amperage / 2] (Round up, may not be lower than 1) ((This is the amount of Battery power needed to fire))
-
Difficulty/Rarity: [Amperage x2] + [Focus]
Cost: [Amperage + Focus x 10] (+rarity for long guns)





====================================================


==================
TEMPLATE
==================
-----------------------
Name: ########
Type: Lightning Gun / Lightning Pistol
Size: #
Amperage: #
Dispersion:
Charge: #

Rarity: ##
Cost: ##
Description:
-------------------------

==================
SAMPLES
==================

==================
TEMPLATE
==================

-----------------------
Name: VKY 1
Type: Lightning Gun
Size: 3
Amperage: 15
Dispersion: -10
Charge: 8

Rarity: 70
Cost: $570
Description: The First operational and mass-produced Lightning Gun design and principal product of Vikkers Kormley, & Young Inc. (VKY) Commonly called the 'Valkyrie'
-------------------------
-----------------------
Name: Rolligs LP1
Type: Lightning Pistol
Size: 1
Amperage: 10
Dispersion: -25
Charge: 5

Rarity: 25
Cost: $150
Description: A compact lightning pistol, designed for easy concealment. It's small size and weight have a sharply negative affect on the weapon's accuracy.
-------------------------
-----------------------
Name: Amity-Kriggs A15
Type: Lightning Pistol
Size: 2
Amperage: 15
Dispersion: -25
Charge: 8

Rarity: 50
Cost: $350
Description: A common and well-regarded brand of Lightning Pistol
-------------------------
-----------------------
Name: [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Kkg9u4P2gU
]Amity-Kriggs A30 'Mjolnir'[/url]
Type: Lightning Gun
Size: 3
Amperage: 30
Dispersion: -50
Charge: 15

Rarity: 100
Cost: $800
Description: A massively powerful Lightning gun that pushes against the bounds of what can be achieved with a man-portable weapon. Devastating, but also known for it's prodigious appetite and dangerous unpredictability.
-------------------------




============MODIFICATIONS
+Something that reduces the Charge needed to fire by 1
+ Something that allows for an AOE blast to be made against an adjacent compartment.


So that's that.. more work is needed obviously, but I'm happy I've found something that works mostly in the meantime. >.>

[Gravedust]

Jowdy folks... lift is reeeaaallllyyy hectic at the moment, but I'm still working on things. Just incridibly slowly.

[Gravedust]

Okay so I've been fiddling around with the sonic guns.. I think i've got them working pretty good actually.. in order to make them a little more effectice, I'm thinking about adding a rule where if your cumulative roll panalty (caused by wounds, the sonig gun's disruption effect, low moreale, etc) get too low then your toon is effectively KO'd regardless of health level I'm thinking -60 or -70 ..wound penalties by the way now go from -5 to -50 to go along with the updated health levels.

But anyway that makes the sonic disruptors useful as a nonlethal weapon.

So yeah. Happy with it so far...

[Gravedust]

AAaaaaannnnndddddddddddd


yep.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
DISRUPTOR
-----
Disruptors use vibrations and soundwaves to create feelings of sickness and disorientation. When hit by a sonic disruptor, a character receives a global roll penalty dependent on the power of the disruptor blast. This effect is not soakable, but the roll penalty dissipates at a rate of [Base Toughness/10] per round. (if the character has less than 10 Toughness, the effect will dissipate at 1 point per round

If the total roll penalty from the sonic disruptor effect and any wound penalties, and morale penalties the character has exceeds 80, the character loses consciousness regardless of health level.

Disruptors have a similar size/rarity relationship to other guns with regards to being a hand gun or a long gun, etc.
-----


====================================================
::BUILD FORMULA::

+Variables+
Disruption: (1-40) ((This is the roll penalty))
Efficiency: (##) (( reduces the amount the effect 'breaks up' over distance))

==========

+Derivatives+

Charge: [Disruption / 4] + [Focus /10] ((round down, if under 10 the result can be 0))
Diffusion: [Disruption] - [Focus] ((This is the amount that the shot's effectiveness is reduced by PER SQUARE))
-
Difficulty/Rarity: [Disruption x 2 ] + [Focus]
Cost: [Disruption + Efficiency] x 10


====================================================


==================
TEMPLATE
==================
-----------------------
Name: ########
Type: Disruptor ((Pistol/Rifle))
Size: #
Disruption: #
Diffusion: #
Charge: #
Rarity: ##
Cost: ##
Description:
-------------------------

==================
SAMPLES
==================

-----------------------
Name: Grimley Arms PPS1
Type: Disruptor Pistol
Size: 1
Disruption: 10
Diffusion: 5
Charge: 2
Rarity: 25
Cost: $150
Description: Specially developed as a personal self-defense weapon.
-------------------------
-----------------------
Name: Mallar-Packes 'Interceptor' Mk.1
Type: Disruptor Pistol
Size: 2
Disruption: 15
Diffusion: 3
Charge: 4
Rarity: 42
Cost: $270
Description: A chopped down version of the popular 'interceder' weapon.
-------------------------
-----------------------
Name: Mallar-Packes 'Interceeder' Mk.4
Type: Disruptor Rifle
Size: 3
Disruption: 20
Diffusion: 5
Charge: 5
Rarity: 55
Cost: $405
Description: A popular weapon in use by the Victoriana constabulary.
-------------------------
-----------------------
Name: Vostok G.V.S.1
Type: Disruptor Rifle
Size: 3
Disruption: 20
Diffusion: 0
Charge: 7
Rarity: 60
Cost: $460
Description: Newly put into production, this weapon features a trade-secret device that prevents the vibric impulse from breaking up over distance.
-------------------------
-----------------------
Name: Canner Weapons Co. "Hammer"
Type: Disruptor Rifle
Size: 3
Disruption: 30
Diffusion: 30
Charge: 8
Rarity: 60
Cost: $360
Description: A 'brute force' weapon with a powerful effect, though the vibric wave breaks down almost immediately
-------------------------
-----------------------
Name: Idono Co. "Aetherizer"
Type: Disruptor Rifle
Size: 3
Disruption: 40
Diffusion: 20
Charge: 12
Rarity: 100
Cost: $700
Description: This power-hungry disruptor is one of the most potent available commercially.
-------------------------

[Gravedust]

Howdy!

Well despite how it may seem, things are NOT dead i'm actually getting a shit-ton of work done pretty quickly here.

Deathrays are finished, I wound up calling them Phasors but I'm reeaaalllyyy open to alternative suggestions.

Right now I'm working on the rest of gear creation.

In general the allowance on gear for adding stats have been pretty much doubled, and I think pretty much all items that aren't weapons have an extra modification/stat socket added.

So the variety of gear this time around should be a lot better.

I also added some more modifications, and altered a lot of existing ones to accommodate some of them running off electrical power instead of air pressure. There are still several air-operated machine and modifications though.

On the shooting things front, I'm considering putting a malfunction roll in with the shooting rules, a simple one that basically says if the result of your firearms roll is under, say 20, (before accuracy bonus/penalty) your weapon can jam or misfire or something. Basically meaning that if you have low skill or a really bad wounded penalty, there's a chance of you mishandling your weapon in one way or another.

I should also probably mention that wounded penalties now got all the way down to -50. =P

I'm also fiddling with biomechanical stuff a bit... I'm thinking there are some stat bonuses you'll now only be able to get through Biomechanical, for instance strength and agility, and I'm planning on putting a bunch of modifications that are bio-only. I'm still not 100% on how I want everything to work but I'm playing around with it.. Basically I want it to be a benefit, but with some limitations to keep it from being straightforward.

But yeah.. I know I've been being quite lately but PROGRESS IS BEING MADE!!!

[Gravedust]

SO! I've been up to some stuff… BEHOLD!!!



It's the first vehicle built under the new and exciting vehicle rules..
Yes it looks like shit… Let's have some stats!

=====================
Democar Mk 1. (Armored version)
-
Total Weight: 1,699 Lbs
Total Size: 66
Total Cost: $8,495
-
Total Movement Points: 11
Turn Points: 2
Driving Difficulty: 18
Obstacle crossing bonus: +10
Ground Clearance: 2
=====================

So yeaaahhh. :3 It's a very basic and sort clunky car. A lot of things need a lot of adjustment but BY GOD IT'S WORKING!!!

Let's explain a little bit about it shall we?

So first you can see how the construction is done, on a grid.. it' s a little more in-depth than airship layout which deal with just compartments… The vehicle is made up of Components, (Wheels, Seat, Engine, Boiler, Controls Etc.) as you can see, and they are stuck together on a grid. Their placement is important, as with airships there are rules that you have to follow regarding what goes where. Certain components have to be certain sizes or shapes but in some cases you are allowed to get free-form with how you want them configured.

As with airship compartments, the stats of components are determined by two factors, an overall Rating and Stat Priority. I forget if I've explained how that's supposed to work before publicly but if not then.. Nevermind!

So.. Driving a vehicle is much different than flying an airship. I've abstracted things a LOT more, so all vehicle movement is handles via Movement Points.

Moving forward a Square costs 1 movement point for any vehicle. Movement points are derived from a vehicle's weight vs. power.

Turning a vehicle (done in increments of 45°) may consume 1 or more movement points, depending on the vehicle's construction. As you can see the Democar uses 2 Movement Points to turn 45. A really heave vehicle might need 4 or 5.

Unlike airships, vehicles can make multiple turns in the same square (this basically simulates things like U turns, J-turns, etc.)

The other limiting factor besides vehicle Movement Points is Driver skill…Each move made in a vehicle is accompanied by an increase in the driving roll difficulty, just like in airships. Unlike airships though there is a flat rate of increase for every square moved or turn made.

In the case of the Demo car this penalty is 18 per square, which is REALLY #$%^&* steep, so I'm going to need to tone that down some.

Vehicle movement behavior is determined by 2 'invisible' stats called Maneuverability and Stability.

Maneuvering helps determine the turn rate (in movement points) and contributes something like a evasion bonus for when the vehicle is getting shot at.

Stability determines the cost of driving maneuvers and adds a bonus for doing things like crossing obstacles and crashing through barriers and similar endeavors.

Both Stability and Maneuvering stats are packaged into the Wheel Stats (so you can choose to have a more stable or maneuverable ride.) but can also be added through things like shock absorbers and other optional Components that I haven't fleshed out enough yet to really use.

Anyway. So the blue boxes are Component Condition. Works just like airship compartment condition. If it's reduced all the way, the part craps out and spawns a Destroyed Malfunction. Some Components may spawn malfunctions on being damaged, but not all.

The Brown boxes are armor. the number is a global value that applies to the entire component. Unlike airship Bulkeads, vehicle Armor does not degrade when hit but things, it just reduced the damage done by the shot. So for instance if someone with a 12 damage handgun plinks the vehicle and it hits the engine, the 12 damage is reduced by 5 by the armor, and so the engine is hit for 7.

Pretty much any gun fired from an airship however will more or less completely wreck any ground vehicle however. Damage from airship scale to ground scale is x10, so your 16 damage Vagabond cannon will be hitting for 160 or what have you and ruining everyone's day.. to compensate I think it may be a little difficult to hit ground vehicles with cannons.. we'll see.

So anyway, that's what I've been messing around with lately.. I plan to twiddle around with this more for the rest of the week too.

[brendur]

Been a while since I posted some schools, but I think I'm going to try to get back in the habit. Thing that takes the longest time with these is tweaking the rules so that they fit in. ;D Enjoy!



Tyazhel Academy of Heavy Weaponry (Musketry) – The entry of the repeater on the battlefield has been a long and gruesome struggle, particularly on its invention and refining. Its creator, Irving Hotchkiss had a loose concept of what he wanted, no investors, and a poor record of work in the Engineering Guild. Laughed away from most of the concept boards he approached, he was considering giving up the idea until the Concordian government contacted him with a very generous offer. What followed was recorded by the Victorian Board of Humanitarian Regard as being a “Wanton and total disregard for the human condition, Hotchkiss claims he will reach up to eight rounds per second, however he expends twice as many soldiers to reach it. What’s worse, I fear he has Concordia’s full support on this”. Hotchkiss eventually completed his work, by then there was little to be done by the VBHR, the repeater had been born, and with it the Tyazhel Trooper.

Modifier: The Tyazhel are trained specifically for the handling and firing of the repeater, their distance modifier is -5 instead of -10 when determining their accuracy.
Manuevers:

Veteran : Suppressing Fire – All enemies in the square that the Trooper attacks take a -10 to their Com Tac scores for the next round, regardless of whether or not the attack hits them. If they are stuck (damage isn’t necessary) than any action they take for the next round suffers a -10 modifier. When he reaches Elite status these both become a -20.

Elite: Comrades in Arms – A Tyazhel of the highest training has learned how to lay down fire on an area and discriminate against his allies while doing so, allies in the target square take none of the damage or modifiers resultant of his fire.




The Gremlin Corps Academy of Explosives (Sapping) – The birthing of the Gremlin Corps is originally traced back to the Yangtze Compact, a contract between a conglomerate of Victorian mining companies, and the ruling class of the Silk Orient. It enabled the conglomerate to transport and install convicted criminal elements from the Orient (along with a “gift” of potent gunpowder shares) to their mining sites, where they would then be set up in small cells to handle charges and explosives. Conditions for the prisoners were miserable and bones bare, but it allowed for cheap labor, and for the Orient to discard of undesirables quickly and quietly. This went largely un-noticed by the Victorian government until a prisoner by the name of Xiao Tseng managed to get the cordoned cells of prisoners communicating in secret. By organizing a cascade episode of catastrophic sabotage throughout the mining operations of the conglomerate, they wrestled their jailors into submitting to their demands. Strangely enough, their demands had nothing to do with their freedom, but rather a one on one meeting between Mistress Xiao and the Queen of Victoria. Impressed with their tenacity, ingenuity, and overall civility with their barbaric treatment, the Queen had the Yangtze compact annulled, and bestowed upon the once prisoners the title of “Gremlins”, installing them within the Victorian Army with open arms.

Modifiers - Gremlins receive a +10 bonus to their sapping when they are destroying machinery or piercing bulkheads , when they turn their explosives specifically towards harming people however they take a -5 to their sapping rolls. (This doesn’t apply to people harmed as the result of sabotage or a pierced bulkhead.)

Maneuvers:

Veteran: A Nose for Trouble – Gremlins all seem to have a knack for knowing just how to damage machinery, when rolling sapping to set a charge they may take a penalty of up to -20 (however they can choose to go below this) and instead receive a bonus of the same value to damage simply for the purposes of determining the malfunction in that section.

Ex: Millian is setting a charge in the boiler room of a Marauder and decides to tweak the package to give her surprise a little more oomph, using A Nose for Trouble she subtracts -15 from her 60 in Sapping, and rolls to set the Nitro charge ( a 40 in handling difficulty) she makes the roll and sets the charge. When it detonates it will do 20 damage to the compartment, but the GM will roll a 1d100+35 when determining the malfunction!

Elite: Shaped Charge – When blasting through bulkheads with people on the other side if the charge pierces the bulkhead, an Elite Gremlin adds half the charges damage again when determining the damage it does to the those in the compartment.

Ex: Millian is blowing her way into a Maradur, setting a satchel charge (Damage 15) on the roof of the bridge (Armor 10), she blows the roof and 5 damage gets through, however thanks to Shaped Charge she adds another 7 to that for a whopping 12 damage to the pilot and the captain.

[Gravedust]

Neat! I always like what you come up with for these... The ideas are very sound but probably will require some tweaking to fit in exactly as you said, but at a glance it looks pretty balanced-ish already.

I do need to angle back towards SP! stuff... I've sort of stalled out with the vehicle rules half done.. I think once I get on top of the LoO stuff I can start working on it again.

On a side note, I mentioned that I was looking at a way to do fleet-scale airship combat.. If it interests you at all here's a glance at my basic rules for it.. still heavily in progress::
Ship Stats:

=========================
Crew:
4 expeirence levels:
Rookie:
Regular:
Veteran:
Elite:

Experience levels act as multipliers for other ship stats:
Rookie: 75%
Regular: 100%
Veteran: 125%
Elite: 150% (+ special attribute)

-One crew can man any size ship-

Crews can be drafted at rookie level, or hired at Regular or Veteran Levels
Elites must be promoted from Veteran by experience Gain.

Crews gain in experience by fighting and surviving in battle. They may also be trained (up to Veteran Rank) at the cost of money and time)

Experience scale: (in points needed to advance to the next rank)
Rookie: 2
Regular:3
Vet: 4
Elite: 5

==============================

+Max Speed
(Determined by either the ship's max level speed, or Overspeed, whichever is lower.)
This determines the number of squares a ship may travel PER TURN.

+Max Range
(Determined by the amount of fuel in a ship's boiler compartment)
This determined the NUMBER OF TURNS a ship may be in play before it has to refuel. Ships that run out of fuel cannot be moved or engage in battle till refeuled.

+Damage output
Determined by the ship's "Firepower" stat. (Possibly w/ multiplier)

Destroyer: = 70
Vagabond = 52
Sylph = 12
Condor = 8
Marauder = 16
Goliath = 120
Claymore = 170
Centurion = 32
Raven = 52
Mephisto = 72
Hornet: = 20

+Armor
(Determined by the ship's "Armor" stat)
Armor reduces the amount of damage taken by the ship. It is not reduced by damage.
The % of damage reduced by the ship's armor is determined by [Armor/#compartments:]

Destroyer: 1236/16 = 77.25 (/2) = 38.6
Vagabond: 840/12 = 70 (/2) = 35
Sylph: 525/10 = 52.5 (/2) = 26.25
Condor: 670/10 = 67 (/2) = 33.5
Marauder: 613/8 = 76.6 (/2) = 38.3
Goliath: 3606/24 = 150 (/2) = 75
Claymore: 2040/21 = 97 (/2) = 48
Centurion: 645/9 = 71.6 (/2) = 35.8
Raven: 830/15 = 55.3 (/2) = 27.6
Mephisto: 1015/13 = 78.0 (/2) = 39
Hornet: 480/10 = 48 (/2) = 24

+Structure
(Determined by the total Condition value of all the ship's compartments)
The "health" of the ship. If the Structure is reduced to 0 the ship is destroyed.
Structure can be replaced (for a cost) at A Repair Yard.

Destroyer: 868
Vagabond: 395
Sylph: 240
Condor: 260
Marauder: 246
Goliath: 980
Claymore: 1059
Centurion: 250
Raven: 501
Mephisto: 705
Hornet: 234

+EVASION::
Evasion accounts for damage avoided by making the opponent's shots miss. Evasion takes a chunk off of incoming damage and the rest is mitigated by the armor.
Determined by a ship's Evasion Stat and Max speed or Overspeed, whichever is LOWER.


Evasion ranged from 1 - 90%

Destroyer: 60.5 / 2.0 = 121 = 40
Vagabond: 64.1 / 2.3 = 147.43 = 49
Sylph: 81.9 / 2.5 = 204.75 = 68
Condor:44.6 / 1.6 = 71.36 = 23
Marauder: 86.1 / 2.6 = 223.86 =74
Goliath: 30.0 / 1.4 = 42 = 14
Claymore: 55.9 / 2.0 =111.8 = 37
Centurion: 48.9 / 1.7 = 83.13 = 28
Raven: 90 / 2.8 =254.8 = 84
Mephisto: 74.4 / 2.3 = 171.12 = 57
Hornet: 80 / 3.1 = 248 = 82


+Fire Effectiveness:
((This is basically to balance turreted guns and guns w/ stats))
Fire Effectiveness directly reduces the effectiveness of Evasion.

(Speed or Overspeed) + (#cannons x 10) + (# turret cannons x 30) (+ stats on cannons or other +Cannoneering stats)



=============================================
Sample Attack

Attacker Fires:
-Maximum damage is determined by Firepower
-Maximum damage is directely reduced by Evasion (Modified by Fire Effectiveness)
-Damage that makes it through evasion is reduced by [%Armor]
-Damage is applied to the target's Structure


===============================================
SHIP ORDERS::
===================================
-SHIP-
Crew: #############(Rank####)
Structure: ## / ##
Armor: ##%
FIREPOWER: #####
Fuel: ## / ##
Speed: ##

ORDERS:_________________

TARGETS:________________



================================
Assembling a Fleet

A Fleet is a grouping of ships that travel and fight together.
-Any number and type of ship can be organized into a fleet. All ships in the Fleet will occupy one movement square.
-The fleet's Speed is limited by the slowest ship in the fleet.
-The Fleet's Range is limited by the ship with the least range.



==================================
LOCATIONS:

Repair Yard:
Can restore Structure to a damaged ship

Shipyard:
Can construct a ship.
[/i]

===============================
As you can see there's some loose ends and such still, this has been backburnered for a while.

But you can see the airship stats are still useable on this scale, and provide a decent facsimilie of a ship's performance.

What (I think) is cool about all this, when taken with the SP! system as a whole is you can change the scale of the conflicts from the very small to the very large:

Steampunk! = Individual characters, dealing with perhaps 1 or 2 ships

Steam Armada = Dealing with 20-70 characters, 4-10 ships, ground troops, vehicles when they get done..

Steam War (the rules up there are for it) Dealing with 20-100s of ships, ground units, etc. basically an entire war if need be.

So you could use the system to go from back-alley fighting to massive clashes between rival air fleets all using more or less the same stat system (Steam War is pretty abstracted away from character stats though, and only takes crew level into account.)

Anyway I think that's kind of cool and I hope to eventually develop and integrate the systems for all levels of combat.


The other hope I have for the future is to use the rules we've laid down in SP! to make a similar but different setting.. Think Steampunk Star Trek to our current Steampunk Firefly… Aethirships instead of airships, and an emphasis on exploration and different worlds (or dimensions!) a more elegant world overall, gleaming chrome and brass, more of a sci-fi backing (Flux engines, Aethir coils, what have you)

Anyway it's still a long way off, but I've been noodling it.