Quote:
Originally Posted by RogerBW
Short version: do ULTRA-TECH limpet mines always do maximum rollable damage?
There's some precedent for this - the Contact Explosions rule on B415, HIGH-TECH's extrudable and foam explosives, cutting cord and detcord (all p.187).
Against this, there's B414 ('the listed damage applies only applies "as-is" to the target struck' when shooting at people with explosive attacks), the fact that Internal Explosions (B415) do not maximise damage, and the inconvenient fact that e.g HEAT warheads do need to detonate at a slight distance from the target to have maximum effect. And of course that it's not specified in ULTRA-TECH.
So is there any chance of an official ruling on this?
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No official ruling but just my opinion...
The considerations about HEAT are not really relevant. One can have contact explosions with any other form of explosive warhead.
The consideration about "as is" damage explains the difference between being hit by the explosive round, and being caught in the blast area. Note that if one is hit by an explosive round which has an impact fuse, that _is_ a contact explosion.
The occurrence described in the box on p. B415 is titled "Contact Explosions", but IMHO it covers only a very specific case - as already mentioned by Phil Masters.
Note by contrast that if the same hand grenade explodes as thrown, directly in contact with the torso of the target, it will do damage "as is", not maximum possible. And it stands to reason, because the explosion will have effect in every possible direction - including away from the target's torso.
We know that in the case described in the box _all_ damage goes against the heroic soldier: we know that not only because he gets maximum damage, but also because everyone else gets protection from his DR and, well, body parts (yeesh). Not so in the case of a contact explosion described on the previous page; the guy hit gets damage "as is", and everyone else in the blast are may receive collateral damage, gaining no protection from the target.
Sure there are shaped charges and other forms of directed blast, which minimize the amount of force wasted in other directions but the useful one - but that is usually taken care of by way of armor divisors.
Just my opinion.