Chainsaws as a separate CC weapon category

[Texhnophille]

(Mick Gordon music plays in the background)

I've noticed that things like chainswords (OTCs don't count) tend to fall in a general Heavy Weapons category, without any distinctive quirks or bonuses/penalties stat-wise. So I recently came up with the idea to give chainsaw weapons (specifically those that actually resemble their real-life counterparts) their own CC subcategory based on a specific damage mechanic.

Chainsaw stats

Spoiler: show

UR: 3

Requires both hands to use.

Special rule: After a successful to-hit roll, instead of rolling for Damage, both attacker and defender are considered locked, not unlike two minifigs Grabbing each other. During defender's turn, they may try to break away from the chainsaw lock by rolling their Skill against that of attacker's. If successful, the defender may either Disengage from CC safely or attack the chainsaw wielder (the attack is auto-hit, since both fighters are still considered locked). At the beginning of the attacker's next turn, if he is still alive and locked with their opponent, that opponent is killed instantly, probably beyond any Medic's help. Chainsaw weapons can only be parried by Shields. Units with Deflection take additional Full Turn to be killed with chainsaw. For larger units, this attack is considered -1HP.

Any thoughts?

[xhado123]

Might be teetering on that line of rules lawyering vs. having fun playing with toys

But I could see that being a good addition to a group of players that like being lawyers in their playtime.

[Omega Prime]

Might be teetering on that line of rules lawyering vs. having fun playing with toys

But I could see that being a good addition to a group of players that like being lawyers in their playtime.

Or players that are lawyers and like playing.

[Texhnophille]

Might be teetering on that line of rules lawyering vs. having fun playing with toys

But I could see that being a good addition to a group of players that like being lawyers in their playtime.

Yeah I got the same idea after thinking it through. I'd also imagine it's gonna break the flow of battle with additional dice rolls.

I still think it can be used in RPG-like scenario with perks, skills and all sorts of stuff that make characters overpowered or, at the very least, more interesting in terms of crunch.

[stubby]

It's okay to break the flow of battle with additional dice rolls if you're being deliberate about where you put them. You want your one or two show-stopper highlights to get that extra game focus to draw players attention to what's cool about your battle. You just don't want to have ten or twenty of them. There are some games where chainsaws are definitely right in that sweet spot, and others where you want to downplay them in favor of other spotlight weapons or gimmicks.

[Craigallot]

I've thought about this as I'm including chainsaws in my current forum battle, and I think I will classify them as 'high-powered weapons.'

They'll have the stats of heavy weapons, but can be wielded in one hand with a short-ranged weapon in the other. If not parried but still failing to kill, they will deliver an extra point of damage on their next attack provided the attack roll succeeds.

The reasoning is that they take less effort to do a lot of damage (simply holding a sword against something won't do much, but a chainsaw makes cutting motions repeatedly itself) so can be paired with other weapons more easily.

The second attack roll would indicate the struggle of keeping the chainsaw in place against an opponent who (we would assume) is resisting the contact.

The damage adding up would reflect that chainsaws or beamsabres (which I would also classify as 'high-powered weapons') build up more pressure as they remain in contact with a surface. This would also make them useful at cutting through steel doors, tank plating, etc. over time.