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Old 12-29-2019, 06:17 PM   #1
JimmyPlenty
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Default Handling Gas Bombs in combat

Hey all, hope the Holidays are treating you well.

The RAW says that everyone gets a roll to jump away from a gas bomb attack. This is fine in a pre-combat situation, but what about during combat? The targets have already moved so it as if they are getting another movement action. What about engagement in such cases?
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Old 12-29-2019, 07:52 PM   #2
hcobb
 
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Location: Pacheco, California
Default Re: Handling Gas Bombs in combat

The enemy can also jump to reengage.
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Old 12-30-2019, 01:14 PM   #3
JimmyPlenty
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Default Re: Handling Gas Bombs in combat

That could result in the person re-engaging to be in the gas attack (or grenade).

And what about anyone one engaged with them? If they jump as well, it would be a fantasy trip conga line.
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Old 01-28-2020, 11:31 AM   #4
KevinJ
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Arizona
Default Re: Handling Gas Bombs in combat

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Originally Posted by JimmyPlenty View Post
Hey all, hope the Holidays are treating you well.

The RAW says that everyone gets a roll to jump away from a gas bomb attack. This is fine in a pre-combat situation, but what about during combat? The targets have already moved so it as if they are getting another movement action. What about engagement in such cases?
In the case of those who have already taken their action, I might allow the safe, but they would definitely lose their action on the next turn. Also, I would only allow a save if they know the bomb is present.
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Old 01-28-2020, 12:46 PM   #5
Skarg
 
Join Date: May 2015
Default Re: Handling Gas Bombs in combat

I think it calls for errata, GM ruling, or house rule.

The simplest ruling (if not the most interesting/satisfying) is to just have it be a DX roll to avoid breathing the gas, with no movement to another hex.

A slightly less simple ruling, would be to say that after rolling to avoid, you have to do whatever is legal in the rules to get yourself out of the affected area as soon as you can.

Another slightly less simple addition would be to say that escaping figures get to ignore engagement if necessary to get them out of the affected area during the next movement phase.


A different approach (which it sounds like most people tend to think is suggested anyway), could be to give everyone in the area the option to make 4/DX roll to jump away when it explodes, let them move out of the area out of sequence, but cost them their next action (whether that's this turn or next). It is a bit weird, especially because it allows a kind of immediate Disengage that is not available normally, especially for the center figure who can move two hexes. If you allow Disengage in any direction when not engaged (which many experienced players do), this mitigates this weirdness somewhat. Also if the figure has already acted and so loses their next turn's action, you need to invent a new limit for how much movement they're allowed during the Movement phase. (Alternatively, you might just give them a -4 adjDX on their next action.)
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Old 01-30-2020, 03:56 PM   #6
KevinJ
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Arizona
Default Re: Handling Gas Bombs in combat

Quote:
Originally Posted by Skarg View Post
I think it calls for errata, GM ruling, or house rule.

The simplest ruling (if not the most interesting/satisfying) is to just have it be a DX roll to avoid breathing the gas, with no movement to another hex.

A slightly less simple ruling, would be to say that after rolling to avoid, you have to do whatever is legal in the rules to get yourself out of the affected area as soon as you can.

Another slightly less simple addition would be to say that escaping figures get to ignore engagement if necessary to get them out of the affected area during the next movement phase.


A different approach (which it sounds like most people tend to think is suggested anyway), could be to give everyone in the area the option to make 4/DX roll to jump away when it explodes, let them move out of the area out of sequence, but cost them their next action (whether that's this turn or next). It is a bit weird, especially because it allows a kind of immediate Disengage that is not available normally, especially for the center figure who can move two hexes. If you allow Disengage in any direction when not engaged (which many experienced players do), this mitigates this weirdness somewhat. Also if the figure has already acted and so loses their next turn's action, you need to invent a new limit for how much movement they're allowed during the Movement phase. (Alternatively, you might just give them a -4 adjDX on their next action.)
Breath holding would work for a purely inhaled gas, but for a gas that does contact damage you really would want to jump clear. As an example, breath holding has no effect on the attacks of an an Am Bush.

I use a mechanic where you get a 3/DX save to jump out of area of effect, adding +1D to the save for each additional hex to be 'jumped' through. So if you are at the edge it's 3/DX, if you are 2 hexes in, then it's a 4/DX save.
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Old 01-30-2020, 05:00 PM   #7
Skarg
 
Join Date: May 2015
Default Re: Handling Gas Bombs in combat

Makes sense it would be easier to escape the edges than the middle hex, but if you make the edges only 3/DX, gas bombs become much less effective than they are at 4/DX.

It also occurs to me that if gas clouds get entire groups of people to stop fighting and move out of the MH where they land, then no-effect gas bombs would have some value and might be for sale, just to get people to jump (and/or to maybe get some people to stop jumping - then you hit them with the effective one ;-) ).
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Old 01-30-2020, 08:27 PM   #8
KevinJ
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Arizona
Default Re: Handling Gas Bombs in combat

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Originally Posted by Skarg View Post
Makes sense it would be easier to escape the edges than the middle hex, but if you make the edges only 3/DX, gas bombs become much less effective than they are at 4/DX.

It also occurs to me that if gas clouds get entire groups of people to stop fighting and move out of the MH where they land, then no-effect gas bombs would have some value and might be for sale, just to get people to jump (and/or to maybe get some people to stop jumping - then you hit them with the effective one ;-) ).
Combine that with the 'lose your next action' and that kind of dodge can become quite the trouble. If you are in the center of the gas you might need to make a 5/DX roll to escape.
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