Another week, another blog
post. I know I didn't have one last week, with good reason.
I didn't write one.
*ba-dum crash*
I'm still trying to squeeze in
posts when I can, but I've got a lot to do and I'm running out of time to do
it. I've been pouring a lot of my writing energy into the "Edge of the
Wasteland" module I'm writing for GamerNation Con. It's almost to the
point where I can get a playtest group together and give it a go for 4 hours to
see how it shakes out. I figure one more weekend and it'll be ready for
testing.
Power Armor
Part of what I'm writing for that
module involves rules for one specific character; the Knight from the
Brotherhood of Steel. She's tromping around the Wasteland of the central
Commonwealth in a well-loved T-45b power armor suit. As I've mentioned before,
Power Armor changed dramatically between Fallout 3 and Fallout 4. Fallout 3 it
was basically stat boosting armor. Fallout 4 it's practically a vehicle.
It boosts stats, sure, but it's also an environmental suit, it runs on a
limited-use power cell, it is loaded down with enhancements and customization
options.
I want to keep some of that for
my module, but I also have to take into consideration the reality that the
person playing this character will have about 5 minutes to familiarize
themselves with these rules. Simplicity may be the necessity.
I pondered making Power Armor a
Silhouette 1 vehicle, but after a lot of consideration about the complexities
of vehicle-scale interactions with personal scale combat, I elected to make
Power Armor act very similar to normal armor. There are some changes, though,
and some complexities.
Soak Rating
Player
characters can wear anything when they enter Power Armor as long as they are
not Encumbered, at the GM's discretion. While wearing Power Armor, the Soak
rating of the Power Armor replaces that of the character while is its
worn. This is a total replacement; it does not add to it, nor do any of
the Character’s Characteristics, Talents, or Abilities add to the Soak rating
of the Armor. When the character is struck by an attack, subtract the
Soak of the Power Armor from the damage and apply the remaining amount to the
character's current damage total. The exception to this is if the attack
strikes a location that's "Compromised".
Critical Hits and Compromised Locations
Critical
Hits against a character in Power Armor are determined and activated as normal;
the attacker must score enough Advantage to activate the Crit Rating of their
weapon, or spend a Triumph to generate a Critical Hit.
When a Critical Hits is scored on a character wearing power armor, that hit removes the Power Armor's protection of a limb, head, or torso instead of inflicting a Component Critical. The location struck by the critical hit is now "Compromised". Any attachments or modifications granted by a Compromised location are lost until that location is repaired.
Roll 1d10
to determine location struck:
1-3
Torso
4
Right Arm
5
Left Arm
6-7
Right Leg
8-9
Left Leg
0
Head
If the
location rolled is already Compromised, the hit scores a Critical Injury against
the wearer, and the Critical Injury result is determined as per the normal
rules in Edge of the Empire.
Aiming at
a Location
A specific Location
can be targeted by using the Aiming at a Specific Part rules on page 201 Edge
of the Empire. If successful, that targeted location is struck (arm,
leg,torso, or head). If the attack generates a Critical Hit, the Critical Hit is applied to that specific location
and that location is now Compromised. If the
attack hits a location that is already Compromised, the attack is applied to
the wearer against the Character’s Soak, not the Power Armor’s soak.
Repairing Power Armor
Repairing
a Compromised section of Power Armor requires a Hard Mechanics Check to
fix. You also need to have a Power Armor Repair cradle or other heavy
lift, a tool kit, and a selection of salvage. The difficulty of the check is
upgraded twice if attempted without such a lift, and cannot be attempted at all
if missing a tool kit or salvaged metal/replacement parts.
Falling in Power
Armor
Power Armor allows
the wearer to fall from great heights without much injury, as long as they land
right. Characters wearing Power Armor treat all falls as 1 Range band shorter
(Long range becomes Medium, Medium becomes Short, and Short falls inflict no
damage). Additionally, the character may spend 3 Advantage or a Triumph on
their Coordination or Athletics check when reducing falling damage (page 215, EotE)
to reduce the fall by an additional range band.
The Fusion Core
In Fallout
4, all Power Armor requires a Fusion Core to operate. The Power Armor draws
power from the disposable Fusion Core, and the rate of consumption is
determined by the actions the wearer makes. The Core’s fuel charge cannot be
replenished; once it’s gone, it's a dead battery. The Power Armor can only be
refueled by installing a fresh Fusion core. Spent cores can be recharged from a
generator or other power source, regaining a number of points per hour per the
generator’s power rating.
All Cores start with 100 points of fuel.
Actions In Power Armor and Fuel Costs:
- 1st Move maneuver on character’s turn - 0 Points
- 2nd Move maneuver on character’s turn - 2 Points
- Move Maneuver during another character’s turn - 2 Points
- Falling - 1 Point (Suit expends energy absorbing the landing)
- Jet Pack (if one is installed) - 1 Point per range band moved.
- Suit-mounted Energy Weapons (if any are installed) - 1 point per use
This is
all I have for now. There will likely be other actions that drain the suit, but
this is all I have right now.
I'm on
the fence about having the Fusion Core be something for the Brotherhood Knight
to worry about for my module at GamerNationCon. If I use it, she'll probably
start with something like 40 points of Fuel; an amount that will may tempt her
to use it during early engagements but may make her rather stingy with her
actions towards the end of the module. That or she'll say "to hell with it",
run it dry, and either find a way to recharge/replace the Fusion Cell or ditch
the suit.
Here's
the example suit for the Brotherhood Knight in the adventure.T-45b Power Armor
Soak: 10 Fusion Core: 40/100
Effects
while Worn: +1 Brawn, Applies 3
Setback to all Agility Skill Checks (except Ranged Combat Checks)
Equipment:
Helmet COMPROMISED
- Spotlight
Torso -
None
Right Arm
- None
Left Arm
- None
Right Leg
- None
Left Leg
- None
There's a spotlight attached to the helmet, but since the helmet is starting the adventure Compromised it's not working. If the Knight can get the helmet fixed during play, the spotlight will become usable again.
Another Settlement Needs Your Help!
The
adventure is coming together pretty well, I'll admit that. I've got the
outline, I've got the detailed write-up about half finished, and if I push it
should be good to go by Monday. Then I have to figure out maps, create the
character sheets, and it's set.
Then I
can determine if I have time to write up the sequel to last year's "Guns
of Nova Rain". I finally figured out what I want to do for "The Hunt
for White Spring", but I have to decide if I have the time to get it
finished for March, with a 2 week loss of writing time for when I'm on
vacation.
My life
is so rough at times.
May the
dice be with you.
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