Question About Robotic Strength

[ACoz1972]

So, I know that the book says that robotic strength is superhuman, but the example damage that's given for a 50-foot robot with a 100 P.S. is listed as 2D4x10+85 damage, even though 2D4x10 damage is what is listed as being done by Supernatural Strength for a score of P.S. 51 to 70.

Can I get some sort of clarification?

Thank you.

~AJ

[Crimson Dynamo]

Robotic Strength is not the same thing as Supernatural Strength. They're two separate categories with their own numbers.

That said I don't have access to my books at the moment so can't check the exact numbers.

[Stone Gargoyle]

Superhuman strength doesn't increase damage, at least not according to the book. Kittenstomp had done adjusted damage tables for the strength categories other than Supernatural, but those were from his House Rules. I have a saved copy of the tables, so I will post it here.

Damage Tables by Kittenstomp

Supernatural PS Damage table
(Restrained Punch/Punch/Power Punch)
01-15: 1d4/2d4/3d6
16-20: 1d6/2d6/4d6
21-25: 2d4/3d6/6d6
26-30: 2d6/4d6/1d4x10
31-35: 2d6+2/5d6/1d6x10
36-40: 3d6/6d6/1d6x10+10
41-45: 4d6/1d4x10/2d4x10
46-50: 4d6/1d6x10/2d6x10
51-60: 5d6/1d6x10+10/2d6x10+20
61-70: 6d6/2d4x10/4d4x10
71-80: 1d4x10/2d6x10/4d6x10
81-90: 1d6x10/3d6x10/6d6x10
91-100: 2d4x10/4d6x10/1d4x100
101-110: 2d6x10/5d6x10/1d6x100
111-120: 3d6x10/6d6x10/1d6x100+100
121-130: 4d6x10/1d4x100/2d4x100

Superhuman Strength Damage
(Restrained Punch/Punch/Power Punch)
01-10: Normal human damage
11-20: 1d4/1d6/2d6
21-30: 1d4/2d4/3d6
31-40: 1d6/2d6/4d6
41-50: 2d4/3d6/6d6
51-60: 2d6/4d6/1d4x10
61-70: 2d6+2/5d6/1d6x10
71-80: 3d6/6d6/1d6x10
81-90: 4d6/1d4x10/2d4x10

Extraordinary Strength Damage
(Restrained Punch/Punch/Power Punch)
01-15: Normal human damage
16-30: 1d4/1d6/2d6
31-45: 1d4/2d4/3d6
46-60: 1d6/2d6/4d6
61-75: 2d4/3d6/6d6
76-90: 2d6/4d6/1d4x10

[Daniel Stoker]

Thanks for posting that Stone Gargoyle!


Daniel Stoker

[Stone Gargoyle]

Thanks for posting that Stone Gargoyle!


Daniel Stoker

No problem. It's just a shame they deleted all his materials from the forums.

[Deathangel2890]

StoneGargoyle, while that's useful, I don't think that was the question being asked.

I know about this one as well. In Robotics, it mentions Robots have the equivalent to Superhuman Strength, but the example given shows damage increase, relative to Supernatural Strength. So, with what you pointed out, this is already incorrect. Which is what was being asked.

So, is it Supernatural strength for Robotics, which gives the damage increase, or Superhuman and the damage increase is a misprint?

[Stone Gargoyle]

As the power is written in the books, there is no bonus to damage for having Superhuman Strength other than the standard PS damage bonus. The damage increase was not right according to the way the Robot Strength is categorized, which is as Superhuman Strength. My sharing of Kittenstomp's material was simply sharing how others have modified the power to give increased damage.

[Glistam]

So, I know that the book says that robotic strength is superhuman, but the example damage that's given for a 50-foot robot with a 100 P.S. is listed as 2D4x10+85 damage, even though 2D4x10 damage is what is listed as being done by Supernatural Strength for a score of P.S. 51 to 70.

Can I get some sort of clarification?

Thank you.

~AJ

Perhaps the author considered that a 50 foot tall robot punching something would be the equivalent of a train moving up to 10 miles per hour crashing into something (per HU2 page 84), but with even more additional force behind it as evidenced by the +85 P.S. damage.

[Deathangel2890]

Stone Gargoyle, again, I feel you're kinda missing the point.

Ignore the powers themselves and look at page 204 in the book, under robotics. In 'Special Features for Arms and Hands', option 1 Increased PS and cost, towards the end it says "Also robotic PS is considered superhuman". OK, so superhuman. No damage increase. Immediately after that "This means that a 50 foot (15.2 m) robot (if one can afford it) could have a PS of 100 and do 2d4x10+85 SDC points of damage for a punch".

With what you're saying, and what we know, the 2nd part doesn't match up with the first. In SN strength, however, how much damage does a punch do for anything over 50? 2d4x10+strength, which for a PS of 100 would be 85.

So, the question stands. Is it superhuman strength and the damage is a misprint, or is it supernatural strength and the word superhuman is a misprint? Because both are printed and, even worse, the latter is an example of the former. So, incorrect example or incorrect word (superhuman)?

[Stone Gargoyle]

It's not supposed to be Supernatural Strength. Bionic Strength is Extraordinary and Robotic Strength is a step up from that, making it Superhuman. I have not seen previous editions of Heroes Unlimited, so maybe it got messed up when they edited the newest version. I realize that you really want it to be Supernatural, but it was not written that way. You just need to accept the fact that the whole Robotics section of the HU2 main book was horribly written.

[Glistam]

So, I know that the book says that robotic strength is superhuman, but the example damage that's given for a 50-foot robot with a 100 P.S. is listed as 2D4x10+85 damage, even though 2D4x10 damage is what is listed as being done by Supernatural Strength for a score of P.S. 51 to 70.

Can I get some sort of clarification?

Thank you.

~AJ

Maybe I'm missing it but how can one make a 50 foot tall robot using the rules in the robotics section? At best I'm seeing heights only in the 20 foot range.

[Stone Gargoyle]

Maybe I'm missing it but how can one make a 50 foot tall robot using the rules in the robotics section? At best I'm seeing heights only in the 20 foot range.

You can't. They don't give costs of enlarging the frame big enough. Did I not say "horribly written"?

[green.nova343]

StoneGargoyle, while that's useful, I don't think that was the question being asked.

I know about this one as well. In Robotics, it mentions Robots have the equivalent to Superhuman Strength, but the example given shows damage increase, relative to Supernatural Strength. So, with what you pointed out, this is already incorrect. Which is what was being asked.

So, is it Supernatural strength for Robotics, which gives the damage increase, or Superhuman and the damage increase is a misprint?

Not a misprint...it's just that Palladium has never produced any official damage tables for S.D.C. settings for those with "enhanced" PS that isn't supernatural PS.

That being said, there are some unofficial tables that people have made (as StoneGargoyle shared); I think back in the day I had one that actually worked it out for all of the HTH strikes, but I'd have to dig them out of the archives somewhere. Again, all unofficial "house rules"....ah, yes, Dustin M's old site still has them (probably back from the old Palladium email list):

https://www.temporalnexus.net/multiverse/HostedSites/rifts-rpg/adv/PS_extraordinary.html
https://www.temporalnexus.net/multiverse/HostedSites/rifts-rpg/adv/PS_superhuman.html

That being said...if you want something semi-official, I would consider the following:

• The strength tables are just the base. For example, the "+85" portion is the SDC bonus due to having a PS 100 (which applies no matter what type of strength you have).
• Rifts has PS damage tables for both Supernatural PS (the same as the HU2 power) & for Robotic PS (equivalent to Superhuman PS). Depending on the PS score, the range seems to be that the Robotic PS is 1/3 to 1/2 that of the equivalent base Superhuman PS damage. So, for example, a Robot with Robotic PS 100 would theoretically be in the range of probably 1D4x10+85
• In the HU GMG, among the special attacks available for a "super-brawl" situation is the two-handed super-power punch. The listed damage for someone with Superhuman PS is half that of someone with Supernatural PS, while someone with Extraordinary PS is 50% more than a typical human. Based on that, we could extrapolate that Extraordinary PS characters do 50% more damage (1D4 ==> 1D6, 1D6 ==> 2D4, etc.) compared to regular humans (plus still adding their PS bonus), while Superhuman PS characters do half the base damage of the Supernatural PS table. Again, Robotic PS 100 becomes 1D4x10+85 for a punch, 2D4x10+85 SDC for a power punch.
• The two-handed power pull has similar ratios, with the Superhuman PS being 1/2 that of the Supernatural. Although it technically then shows Extraordinary as 1/4 of Supernatural, & Normal as 1/8, the issue is that when you hit PS 15 or lower those damages become ridiculously low (essentially becomes 1 point for a normal human's punch at PS 15). I would strongly suggest sticking with Extraordinary PS doing 50% more base damage than a regular human.

[Gaunilo]

So, I know that the book says that robotic strength is superhuman, but the example damage that's given for a 50-foot robot with a 100 P.S. is listed as 2D4x10+85 damage, even though 2D4x10 damage is what is listed as being done by Supernatural Strength for a score of P.S. 51 to 70.

Can I get some sort of clarification?

Thank you.

~AJ

I’m new to HU and just noticed the same issue rolling up a character (as well as the one you later mention here about the rules also apparently not allowing construction of a robot as big as the example given) and came here to the forum looking for answers. Thanks for posting these. I guess I’m just gonna consider that particular example a typo and use the jury-rigged SHPS vs SNPS damage charts people have posted. It just seems right that SHPS should have its own special damage like SNPS and not simply be plain vanilla human PS with extra lifting and carrying.