Pyramid #3/77: Combat

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by jacobmuller

... find an illo of creatures as hexes - aawesome - I've just spent the last few days GIMPing top-down tokens into front-side-back colorcoded hexes and was wondering how i'd go about laying out Big Critters.

You planning on sharing that? :-D

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

You planning on sharing that? :-D

I have a template for one hex creatures https://www.dropbox.com/s/nf7druuiuk...Base2.png?dl=0 and a template for 2-hex-wide creatures (small giants) https://www.dropbox.com/s/h8a7dy12pt...2Wide.png?dl=0

The base is semitransparent so you can see what they're standing on a little, but still give a good baseline to contrast the mini against.

[Infornific]

Originally Posted by RyanW

Running the numbers (in 3.5, which is the only D&D I have any experience with), I find that's only true at very low levels (1-5 or so).

I probably should have clarified - my D&D experience is AD&D 1e plus a little Basic and 2e. In those systems, ability to dish out damage generally didn't rise as fast as the ability to take it.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Bruno

I have a template for one hex creatures https://www.dropbox.com/s/nf7druuiuk...Base2.png?dl=0 and a template for 2-hex-wide creatures (small giants) https://www.dropbox.com/s/h8a7dy12pt...2Wide.png?dl=0

The base is semitransparent so you can see what they're standing on a little, but still give a good baseline to contrast the mini against.

NICE! Thanks, Em.

[jacobmuller]

Originally Posted by Bruno

I have a template for one hex creatures https://www.dropbox.com/s/nf7druuiuk...Base2.png?dl=0 and a template for 2-hex-wide creatures (small giants) https://www.dropbox.com/s/h8a7dy12pt...2Wide.png?dl=0

The base is semitransparent so you can see what they're standing on a little, but still give a good baseline to contrast the mini against.

Wow - really crisp. Fudged mine in Paint (not pretty but it worked) then used GIMP to set color to Alpha, copied some thugs& into hexes. Been doing the color-alpha thing with "critters". When I get home I can set up a dropbox link and put what I've got on the GURPS resources forum. If I can do it, anyone can and the source material is free off the net.

Still haven't got back to absorbing this Pyramid issue - it's another game changer.

[jacobmuller]

re On Target
I really like the idea of Aiming not being a guaranteed outcome but dependant on effective skill per an actual shot.

Aim Small Miss Small
Am I reading it correctly - if your Aim skill check succeeds then the actual Attack has only half the normal penalties for range etc?

Variable Aim
Not keen on 1d-4 for a variable or 3d/10*Acc but Wobbly Aim is getting me into happy range.

How about if the Aim manoeuvre result is a Margin of Victory: Effective Aim Skill MoS - Dodge MoS.

Effective Aim Skill, as per your article. [applicable Gun skill, modified for target (range/movement, SM, Visibility, whatever), Bonus for weapon Acc, open sights, etc, penalty for closed sights (but add it to MoV*), bonuses for All-out or Committed Aim]

Why bring in the target's Dodge: a moving target is harder to target. If using the Harsh Realism versions of Dodge this can result in no Dodge - target doesn't know you're targeting them or has a higher threat opponent to deal with first or is closing the range, Berserk, running away...

*Telescopic Sights: penalise Aim roll but add to MoV if successful - should that be double their penalty?

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by jacobmuller

Aim Small Miss Small
Am I reading it correctly - if your Aim skill check succeeds then the actual Attack has only half the normal penalties for range etc?

As I read it, the Aim skill check is what has the penalties halved.

[jacobmuller]

Combat Writ Large: it's by Kromm and includes quotes from Princess Bride and Willow. If you haven't bought Pyramid before, start Now!
I'd just love a game session to include a PC who evades the huge flying dragon by running under it, but can only make it halfway this turn, as his team-mate crits it's eye - "What do you mean Nimble Jon and The Black Bow are dead?" "Dragon fall, dragon squish..."

It's a Threat: I was reading through this thinking "I wonder how long before there's a Thread listing all the bestiary threat ratings." and then I hit the page with the huge list of rated cirtters [big smile, Big smile 8D]. If I have one criticism it'd be the repeated "if" in calculating active defense and what appears to be a typo [x 1 = 2] in the example.

Random Thought: Cool Chip - cool.

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by jacobmuller

re On Target
I really like the idea of Aiming not being a guaranteed outcome but dependant on effective skill per an actual shot.

Thanks! I'm working on a Designer's Notes for the blog; probably look for it tomorrow.

Aim Small Miss Small
Am I reading it correctly - if your Aim skill check succeeds then the actual Attack has only half the normal penalties for range etc?

No - only halve penalties for figuring Aiming roll. The shot is normal.

Variable Aim
Not keen on 1d-4 for a variable or 3d/10*Acc but Wobbly Aim is getting me into happy range.

1d-4+Acc, of course. Both of those are designed to produce about the same results as regular, so it's neither overwhelming or make no one aim. Wobbly Aim makes more sense to me as a shooter, but I can see why people wouldn't want it, so it went into options.

How about if the Aim manoeuvre result is a Margin of Victory: Effective Aim Skill MoS - Dodge MoS.

Effective Aim Skill, as per your article. [applicable Gun skill, modified for target (range/movement, SM, Visibility, whatever), Bonus for weapon Acc, open sights, etc, penalty for closed sights (but add it to MoV*), bonuses for All-out or Committed Aim]

Why bring in the target's Dodge: a moving target is harder to target. If using the Harsh Realism versions of Dodge this can result in no Dodge - target doesn't know you're targeting them or has a higher threat opponent to deal with first or is closing the range, Berserk, running away...

*Telescopic Sights: penalise Aim roll but add to MoV if successful - should that be double their penalty?

I'm not wild about Margin of Victory, because I think that takes a lot of emphasis off the Acc stat. The model is just attack/damage, not Quick Contest. I'd want to playtest the MoV method a lot - the current method has been played for basically a year, and I know it works at the game table.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by jacobmuller

It's a Threat: I was reading through this thinking "I wonder how long before there's a Thread listing all the bestiary threat ratings." and then I hit the page with the huge list of rated cirtters [big smile, Big smile 8D].

You can thank Steven/Nikki for that. They used some sort of Gallifreyan sorcery to make the issue bigger on the inside. Seriously, I just KNEW Steven would have to cut the table and both examples to make it fit, but he somehow got the tables in and a bloody example.

Originally Posted by jacobmuller

If I have one criticism it'd be the repeated "if" in calculating active defense...

Not many ways of stating "if/then" with the word count I had to make do with.

Originally Posted by jacobmuller

...what appears to be a typo [x 1 = 2] in the example.

Sigh. Another artifact. Should be "2 ¥ (9 - 8) = 2 and 12 - 8 = 4." I'll collect the errata and put it on my Designer's Notes.