Quote:
Originally Posted by Polydamas
In some campaigns I might just ignore the game stats, and focus on understanding the real properties of similar weapons, on the grounds that the result when a human being is shot with a cannon is "they lose whatever body part it hits" and the GURPS damage rules are not the best for simulating damage to large ships or fortifications. If I already know more or less what will happen when my galleon gives fire to those nasty English sea-dogs, no need to convert the gun side and the target side into game stats!
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Indeed. I've avoided using the RAW damage vs. HP mechanism when attacking large wooden vessels. Archers and slingers, no matter how many, are not going to destroy typical warships in a minute or two of missile fire.*
I generally just count each part of a ship as a seperate wooden structure, with DR and HP according to thickness, with maybe a slight boost to DR for the shape of the hull of later warships. Actual line of battle ships ought to rate at least DR 30 at their strongest points, not only because 2+ feet of oak are that strong, but also for there to be any need for heavier cannon, as otherwise anything higher than 3-lb will simply blow through.
Penetrating the DR and 1/4 of the HP gets through the hull, with effects varying.
*Incidentally, the DR for wooden warships is strangely low in GURPS, when compared to the stats of wooden walls. I can't really explain why the 18" oak bulkheads of a frigage should be DR 6 in GURPS, but as soon as you remove the ship and make it simply an 18" thick wall of oak, the DR triples.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Polydamas
But the Realms have giant monsters, heroes who can take more damage than ten men, and magical armour ... so damage could be a useful stat.
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Just so.
DR 30, HP 300 dragons call for pretty big swivel-guns to handle air defence.