06-08-2012, 04:59 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: earth....I think.
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ST damage formula
so I finally made a neat formula that you can use to determine how much damage a given ST can do for both swing and thrust.
the formula assumes using the (N+1)d-1/+0/+1/+2 formula that ST10-22 is based on (1d, 1d+1, 1d+2, 2d-1, 2d etc) for swing: ((ST-10)+4)/4 = dice of damage. for thrust: ((ST-10)+4)/8 = dice of damage. decimals are treated as such: less than or equal to .25 = add 1 less than or equal to .5 but more than .25 = add 2 less than or equal to .75 but more than .5 = add 1d-1 so, lets say you want to know ST 14? 14-10 = 4+4 = 8/4 = 2d6 for swing 14-10 = 4+4 = 8/8 = 1d6 for thrust what about, say, ST50? 50-10 = 40+4 = 44/4 = 11d6 for swing 50-10 = 40+4= 44/8 = 5.5 = 5d+2 for thrust. ST 2550? 636d6 for swing and 318d6 for thrust so what do you all think? :D Last edited by zoncxs; 06-09-2012 at 09:29 AM. Reason: made a few parts clearer |
06-08-2012, 05:09 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Oregon
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Re: ST damage formula
I think it's a decent alternative to using the formula in Pyramid 3/34 (which gives ST/2-10d or -8d for high ST thrust and swing). It does break with the convention of both the Basic Set damage table and the Pyramid one which makes swing and thrust damage vary by no more than ~2d, but I suspect that's the issue you were trying to address anyways.
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06-08-2012, 06:44 PM | #3 | |
Doctor of GURPS Ballistics
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Lakeville, MN
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Re: ST damage formula
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If you want to git wacky, you can re-scale thrust to 1d per 10 ST, and that brings it much more in line with other damage quantities in GURPS.
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06-08-2012, 06:49 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Oregon
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Re: ST damage formula
While that's certainly a "clean" progression, that ends up costing 50cp per 1d of thrust damage (using Striking ST), so I'm not sure how that is in-line with other damage quantities. Would you care to elaborate on that?
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06-08-2012, 07:03 PM | #5 | |
Doctor of GURPS Ballistics
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Lakeville, MN
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Re: ST damage formula
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Short version is that ST-based damage scales too fast, and hits a value where you can punch as hard as many pistols shoot very quickly. That's a bit of thread necromancy, but basically, there's a case to be made that GURPS "damage" is really "penetration of stuff," and that means it would be more consistent all over the damage scale if quadrupling your energy input doubled your penetration. If you keep a person the same size, and double his ST, you quadruple his input force (and applied over the same distance, you can handwave that as Force x Distance = Energy) and say his input energy quadrupled. So if you do damage based on (say) ST/10, then ST 10 = 1d, ST 20 = 2d, ST 40 = 4d . . . that is, every time you quadruple energy (double ST), you also double damage. That's the same basic scale as in The Deadly Spring and that has been for firearms scaling since High Tech (2ed?) had DR 70 = 20d = 1" of RHA Steel.
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06-08-2012, 07:19 PM | #6 | ||
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Oregon
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Re: ST damage formula
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06-08-2012, 07:31 PM | #7 | ||
Doctor of GURPS Ballistics
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Lakeville, MN
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Re: ST damage formula
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Remind me of this post in about three weeks. There's a concept in an upcoming Pyramid article that's relevant here. :-)
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06-08-2012, 07:33 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: OK
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Re: ST damage formula
Maybe limit damage based on skill? Damage can't exceed skill/4 with a punch and skill/3 with a kick? It would at least be easy to keep track of and write down on a sheet. Also gives a reason to AoA and go Telegraphic.
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06-08-2012, 07:41 PM | #9 | ||
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Oregon
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Re: ST damage formula
I could see using ST/20 Thrust for realistic games, but ST/10 for more cinematic ones (much as you included both Realistic and Cinematic damage outputs in your Deadly Spring article).
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And now, I'm off for pizza. (Hmm, how much DR does a crust have? And do human teeth have a fractional AD? Does it matter if it's incisors or molars?) |
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06-08-2012, 07:43 PM | #10 |
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Yukon, OK
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Re: ST damage formula
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Tags |
damage, modifying damage |
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