[NetEpic ML] Re: Helping Titans Survive the Modern World.....

From: Kelvin <kx.henderson_at_...>
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 09:49:20 +1100

At 09:07 PM 12/13/99 -0800, you wrote:
>Kelvin, I have some ideas for your Armor System.
>
>As I see it the problems are two. Shields are not strong enough vs.
>small weapons; and heads, reactors, and legs are too vulnerable. Larger
>titans should have stronger armor, smaller titans less. Most people
>like the titan templates as they are now, so they can roll aiming dice.
>My proposed modification to your plan. Simple, and easy.
>
>Make ablative armor reduce by the armor save modifier of the attacking
>weapon.
>
>So: A Devastator would reduce the armor by 1 point.
> A Landraider would reduce the armor by 2 points.
> A Tempests Laser would reduce the armor by 3 points.
> A Titan Plasma Destructor would reduce the armor by 6 points.
>
>When the Ablative Armor is reduced to 0, roll a normal save
>(with save modifiers,) for that location, for the rest of the game.

This sounds very reasonable. Simple, effective and it gives the Titans
more survivablilty without making them invulnerable.

>Example:
>
>A tempest Laser hits a Warlord titan's reactor location with
>3 Ablative Armor Points remaining. The three points of ablative armor
>have now been completly removed, the location must now make a normal
>saving throw. The saving throw for that location is a 2+, as mormal.
>
>If another shot hits the same location, the ablative armor will not
>absorb any more damage, because it had been removed by the earlier shot.
>Save again, as normal, for that location.
>
>Warlords should have Ablative values of:
>
>Head 6 pts.
>Reactor 5 pts. (Because the reactor is exposed on front and back.)
>All legs 3 pts. (The lower legs have a variable save value.)
>All other locations 2 pts.
>
>
>Reavers should have values lower than Warlords because of smaller size.
>
>Head 5 pts.
>Reactor 2pts. (Because it's only exposed in the rear.)
>All legs 2 pts.
>All other locations 1 pt.
>
>
>Warhound Scout Titans should have values of:
>
>Head 3pts. (The small titan template are part of thier protecton.)
>Reactor 1pt (Because it's only exposed in the rear.)
>All legs 1 pt.
>All other locations 0 pts.
>
>
>The other problem is that shields are as vulnerable to Devastators as
>they are to a Titan Plasma Destructor. Why not increase the number of
>shields by a factor of 2, but reduce them, when hit, by the weapon's
>save modifier?
>
>So: A Devastator would reduce 1 shield.
> A Landraider would reduce 2 shields.
> A Tempest Laser would reduce 3 shields.
> A Titan Plasma Destructor would reduce 6 shields.

I don't like this particular suggestion as there are special weapons that
are designed to knock down shields one after the other like the current
rules for the Gargant Ball Round and the Cyclops Cannon for the Squats. I
think as the shields stand they are O.K.

Perhaps to counter the problem of Infantry knocking shields out we can take
an idea from the old Adeptus Titanicus Overload rule. At the start of the
phase (either First Fire or Advance Fire) the Titan's controller can
declare they are overloading the Void Shields (NOT Power Fields). The
shields will hold under whatever fire they take, but the chances of an
overload in the generators are very high. No matter how many times the
shields are hit, they will not fall. However, keep track of the number of
hits they take and at the end of the phase, roll a D6 and add the number of
hits the shields took in that phase and consult the "Shield Overload"
table. The Overload table would be something along the lines of the
Reactor Damage table (but extending beyond 6 to account for the modifiers)
with the most extreme results seeing the Titan explode.

For example:

1- The Generators complain under the increased load but hold. No effect.
2-3 The generators threaten to cause a feedback into the power system
forcing the Princeps to shut some of them down. The Titan lose half its
remaining shields (they may be repaired)
4-5 Safety cut-outs shut the genrators down before they feedback into the
reactor system, Tita loses all its remaining shields (they may be repaired)
6-8 The generators cause an overload feedback into the power system, as a
result saftey cut outs shut the Reactor down. The Titan is without power
until it can be repaired.
9-10 The energy feedback into the power systems causes significant damage
to the Neural Interface. Roll on the Titan Head Damage table.
11- The feedback overloads the reactor. Roll on the Titan reacotr Damage
Table.
12+ The feedback causes the Plasma Reactor to explode. Treat as "6"
result on the Titan Reactor Damage Table.

This way, a player can ensure an Imperial Titan's survival for at least one
phase (as long as no one uses a weapon that ignores shields), but the
chances of it becoming useless or even exploding are significant.


-Kelvin....

============================================
         "Of course I'm paranoid!
       Everyone's trying to kill me."
============================================
Received on Tue Dec 14 1999 - 22:49:20 UTC