Rule refinement

[IVhorseman]

Basically, this is a thread dedicated to refining rules, stat cards, etcetera, after they've gotten past the theoretical stage.

in future practice, when rules start being more or less done, but prying dimmy hands start to screw with them, redirect it to here.

to commemorate this: adjusting sniper rules!



basically, that's what we've got so far, organized into a neat little stat-card made by james + burgundy. do we have suggestions/additions/removals we want to make to this?

[kidko]

Well, for starters, let's fix the layout (some text is off) and i am retarded/spelling. Sorry, it just bugs me.

I think it should still deal the weapon's damage (or a reduced damage..?) if the sniper missed the headshot. It would make more sense, since the head's pretty small compared to the rest of a body. Besides, adds more likelyhood for carnage/death.

[Blitzen]

I'll make a new one and change the wording of the skill stuff. I think this will make it more clear. I'll also shorten up the wording of some skillz and stuff to make it more diminutive. It will be nice.

[IVhorseman]

well, james + burgundy made it with my guidance, if that's accommodating for the wording and spelling. i gave him tips for what the rules should generally say, and i think he just copy-pasted. his skill is supposed to be 1d6, and the 1d2 sniping is supposed to be an ability, not a skill. also, it says nothing about his (i believe we decided 30) inch range.

as for reduced damage headshots, that's a big no. snipers are hit-or-miss, as any action movie would tell you. they either get you right in the brain, blowing your skull open completely, or they miss and it whizzes past your shoulder into the glass of vodka you were holding.

[Blitzen]

Technically, Skill is a set roll and abilities don't exist; they're specialties.

I changed the Skill thing to a specialty called 'head hunter'. It reads as follows: "Head Hunter(+5CP): On the attack roll of using a ranged weapon, a Sniper need only flip a coin to determine success. On heads, the shot hits and kills unless the target is a Hero or wearing a helmet. If they are, another heads must be tossed to kill.

On the topic of 30" range, I've decided to add a weapon like the Ninja'skatana. I need cost, use, damage, range, and size.

EDIT: There's also that paranoia thing. I think he should be able to take a turn off to calm his nerves/ re- and disassemble his rifle to calm down. If you want it differently, say so.

EDITATION: I also have to take non-sniper rifle guns into consideration, though it would be blasphemy not to equip your sniper with a proper rifle.

[IVhorseman]

the paranoia was because having a sniper in the same spot for an entire battle picking people off one and invulnerable to enemy fire could get really old, and really annoying. forcing him to move helps mitigate that.

as for a sniper-rifle, i'd suggest something along the lines of cost = screw it, use = special, damage = infinite, range = 30", size = 2 handed.

and as for the headhunter ability, it should be noted that a sniper can hit anything roughly minifig-head sized. anything smaller is too hard, anything larger isn't cool enough for him to waste his time (sort of why i prefer the title marksman). that way, he can target levers, switches and hinges.

speaking of titles, perhaps a not so era-specific moniker is in order? perhaps sharp-shooter or something. a man who is an expert with a bow could easily fulfill the same job description in the 1400s

[Blitzen]

Sure, I'll change the paranoia thing to forever.

Even though you don't like real (read: grammar) rules I have to make one anyway. What if Joe Minifig wants to use the 30" rifle? I'll go something like 8 CP, 11 use, 1d6 dmg and 30" rng to make it special. Of course the Sniper has his special ability so it's no problem.

I'll make sure to note the marksman thing. He can hit anything that is roughly 1x1 size. I never really thought of the real life application of sniping.

For the titles, I was thinking more of an alternate stat card, like the Pilot and Rider. When these rules are final I could do the same thing with a sharp shooter thingie, but for now the rules are for Snipers. That can be handled later.

[Blitzen]

Here she is for now. If you have anything else post it, and I'll be back tomorrow. Stupid homework...

[Rayhawk]

I'll make sure to note the marksman thing. He can hit anything that is roughly 1x1 size. I never really thought of the real life application of sniping.

Do you remember in the seventies and eighties when there were a bunch of comic book superheroes that were just super archers? Or wait, you're all too young. How about: in history class did you ever study the seventies and eighties? They had heroes like Green Arrow and Hawkeye who foiled crime for years with nothing more than trick shots. That's some good reference to look up if you want good sharpshooter ideas.

Is there any reason to limit the exact size of his target? It seems like it'd be a lot easier to just say "on heads he hits whatever he's shooting at, no matter how small or how difficult the shot, as long as there is a clear line of sight." I can't think of any ways that being able to shoot something microscopic once in awhile would cause any game-breaking problems.

I don't think we need any extra restrictions on head-shotting Heroes, as long as we continue to allow for RedShirts to jump in at the last minute to save him. Helmets either, since action-movie snipers always have longbows or armor-piercing ammunition that goes right through either platemail or kevlar respectively.

[Tzan]

You need to mention that a result of Heads hits and "kills" the target. Right now you just have it as a hit.

[IVhorseman]

You need to mention that a result of Heads hits and "kills" the target. Right now you just have it as a hit.

very true. and what the hell? the green arrow is one of the best justice league members there is! of course, he's less of a badass than the flash, but still.

and ah! you forgot speedy. he's an old-timey comicbook archer.

also, UR of eleven? ELEVEN?!?!?!? and with only 1d6 damage? i'm voting for a UR below 6 (4 or 5 should do it), and 2d6 damage. CP rules i'll let you figure for yourselves (although i'll admit that marksmanship is a bit high-priced).

ooh! and one other thing to note: headshot = kill, and it takes a full turn to prepare a shot for sniping (looking through a scope or reloading, whatever floats your fluffy boat).

[Blitzen]

You forget Horsey, the use rating is to hit, and it's mighty hard to hit with no formal training. If you made the UR too low and the damage too high, what's the point of a Sniper at all?

I'll make sure to add the whole headshot thing, but I thought I was obvious. People aren't going to say, 'I hit ur hed man. Now wut?'. I'm sure they've all lost enough at Halo to realize that headshots are insta-kills. But I'll include it just for you.

The whole CP thing is to make it fifteen. If you want it less, I don't really care.

EDIT: Here she be!

[IVhorseman]

ah true, but the sniper rifle already has the drawbacks of A) requiring a full turn to aim and B) rarity and CP cost (if that's your thing). now, as anyone who's fired a rifle before knows, if you take time to aim and have the added benefit of a scope, it is ridiculously easier to hit something accurately, as opposed to firing a pistol or something (i've done both. after a day of practice, i could hit a dime from about 100 feet with a .22).

also, a high-powered sniper rifle's gonna deal an assload of damage to anything it hits.

[Blitzen]

...

Okay.

Here is number three:

[Rayhawk]

Instead of head shot = insta-kill, let's generalize. On a successful coin flip, the construction element the sniper was aiming at is hit and destroyed, regardless of armor level or difficulty of the shot, whether it's a brick in a wall, a rotator cuff on a mech, or an enemy minifig's head. If a minifig target is saved by the actions of a convenient RedShirt, the Redshirt receives a mortal wound which will kill him one turn later. During that turn, the dying RedShirt is completely incapacitated except for the ability to deliver a moving final speech.

In rare cases, the sniper may choose not to deal instant-destruction damage, instead using a super-accurate shot to manipulate objects in implausibly precise ways. Examples include flipping a light switch, severing a hangman's noose, or sinking the eight ball in the corner pocket from 100 yards away.

Also, a Sniper must fire from a position of full cover, after taking Stealth into account, in order to use the Marksmanship ability. (This is so that Scouts can be used to disrupt camping Snipers.)


For Ranged Ego: I'd switch it up to if any unit is within 6", the Sniper may not use his Marksmanship ability. Otherwise he behaves as normal.

Paranoia I'd change to say that a Sniper loses all special bonuses within 5" of spots from which any Sniper has fired using the Marksmanship ability, whether allied or enemy. Once a spot has been used for Sniping, it becomes a focus of special attention for everyone on the field, making further camping impossible. (This is so that players don't get too much advantage from fielding a whole bunch of Snipers instead of just a few.)