Being STUNNED while already STUNNED

[Zigjustice]

So while being attacked by enemies carrying guns with stunning capability, I failed a health role, and was stunned. However, the weapon had three shots, and the GM had me role all three, TWO of which I failed.

Thus, the GM said I was stunned TWICE, and had to complete my HT-4 role TWICE before waking up.

I argued that it seemed to me (though I can't seem to find verbage either way) that once you are stunned (from a weapon, not damage) that you can't be DOUBLY stunned. That outside of possible burn damage, the second stun does nothing.

Has anyone dealt with this before? Is there anything in one of the rule books to settle this debate?

Thanks.

[Anthony]

Stunned is a status, not an effect that must be separately removed; it doesn't stack as far as I can determine.

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Stunned is a status, not an effect that must be separately removed; it doesn't stack as far as I can determine.

There are different degrees of stunned-ness, and I can see how additional zapping might make it worse, and this GM's call is not especially out of round. Having to roll HT-4 twice to recover is probably less incapacitating than being stunned for a minute before needing to roll Will once, for instance.

[rlbeaver]

Originally Posted by Zigjustice

So while being attacked by enemies carrying guns with stunning capability, I failed a health role, and was stunned. However, the weapon had three shots, and the GM had me role all three, TWO of which I failed.

I'm probably wrong, but I've always had them roll to hit, calculate how many hits they got for multiple shots, and then roll all the damage at once. I've just always taken as it was one attack with multiple shots, so it was one roll for damage...all the shots hit at once...

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by obatron

I'm probably wrong, but I've always had them roll to hit, calculate how many hits they got for multiple shots, and then roll all the damage at once. I've just always taken as it was one attack with multiple shots, so it was one roll for damage...all the shots hit at once...

This certainly isn't true of normal damage; each shot needs to penetrate DR individually. I'm not sure how you'd go about doing this with afflictions at all. Can you clarify?

[Woodman]

The Weapon essentially delivers an Affliction and the Basic Set says on p.35

Successive Afflictions that produce the same effects are not normally cumulative. Use the single worst effect.

[Mailanka]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Stunned is a status, not an effect that must be separately removed; it doesn't stack as far as I can determine.

Successive Afflictions that produce the same effects are not normally cumulative. Use the single worst effect.

I agree. Stunned is stunned. Doubling up stunned would be like hitting someone with blinding powder twice and saying "You're now double-blind, and at -20 to hit everyone instead of just -10!" It just doesn't work that way.

That said, I do think it's possible to force another stun test on a stunned character: There's a chance the character will fail by 5 or critically fail and go unconscious.*

*Except in the case of an affliction or a stun gun. I don't think those work quite the same as a generic Knockdown/Stun check

[Kuroshima]

Another question would be if a character is both MENTALLY and PHYSICALLY stunned. I would allow those two to coexist, and they would need to be recovered separately (though you would be able to roll for both when doing nothing)

[rlbeaver]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

This certainly isn't true of normal damage; each shot needs to penetrate DR individually. I'm not sure how you'd go about doing this with afflictions at all. Can you clarify?

Only that as I thought, I was wrong. :)

Oddly, I've been wondering about it lately...

[Sunrunners_Fire]

Originally Posted by Zigjustice

Has anyone dealt with this before? Is there anything in one of the rule books to settle this debate?

GM's call.

No, really, GM's call. :)

Personally, going with generic "real world" assumptions, using tazers:

• IF stun1 THEN stun2, I'd expect stun2 to extend the duration of stun1 -and- increase stun1's severity. (Harder to break out of.)
• IF stun1 + stun2, at once, I'd expect a longer stun with increased severity.

But that is just my opinion (and how I would rule if I was the GM).