Fight lengths?

[Tigermuppetcut]

When it comes to combating creatures in this game is it the usual case that creatures have values like 1D6x100 SDC + a few bonuses. And average damage for weapons is about 3D6. Meaning combat takes forever and is just a long drawn out war of attrition?

This is the way most creatures are in Rifts and it drives me to despair, so how is BTS 2nd ed?

Thanks.

[Guest]

Not like that at all...

Modern firearms are appropriately deadly...and your basic supernatural critter can't withstand more than a full clip or two...

though, they are good at running, and regenerate very fast..

[Sentinel]

When it comes to combating creatures in this game is it the usual case that creatures have values like 1D6x100 SDC + a few bonuses. And average damage for weapons is about 3D6. Meaning combat takes forever and is just a long drawn out war of attrition?

This is the way most creatures are in Rifts and it drives me to despair, so how is BTS 2nd ed?

Thanks.

It's not like it is in Rifts. Actually, the Player Characters will be more fragile, and less likely to be wearing armour. So, they won't be digging in and dragging on a fight for hours because they cannot withstand that sort of damage.
Some, like vampires and werewolves are not subject to conventional weapons (that is, normal. As opposed to normal w/ Silver bullets). Regeneration can also make combat go on longer. Generally, the scale of the conflicts won't be as large as Rifts, and the Player characters will more likely have psychic powers of their own. When the BtS magic book comes out, that will be another advantage the PCs will have.

[Sentinel]

Or you could just not be using the best monsters for the player group.
I always had to remember to mix up the type of critters and entities I used just to keep from making things too easy.

[glitterboy2098]

When it comes to combating creatures in this game is it the usual case that creatures have values like 1D6x100 SDC + a few bonuses. And average damage for weapons is about 3D6. Meaning combat takes forever and is just a long drawn out war of attrition?

with out reading the book, i can tell you why the battles wouldn't too drawn out.

by palladium rules, if a bullet does 3D6, a short burst does 3D6x2, a long burst does 3D6x5, a full melee burst does 3D6x10

rifts problem is that the original rules included this aspect for MDc combat as well, but players complained it was too easy to die. they changed it, and now they complain it takes to long to kill.

[Guest]

When it comes to combating creatures in this game is it the usual case that creatures have values like 1D6x100 SDC + a few bonuses. And average damage for weapons is about 3D6. Meaning combat takes forever and is just a long drawn out war of attrition?

with out reading the book, i can tell you why the battles wouldn't too drawn out.

by palladium rules, if a bullet does 3D6, a short burst does 3D6x2, a long burst does 3D6x5, a full melee burst does 3D6x10

rifts problem is that the original rules included this aspect for MDc combat as well, but players complained it was too easy to die. they changed it, and now they complain it takes to long to kill.

DING!

A Winnar is GB2098!

The best thing about running a detective type game, to me, is the ease with which I can pick up a story thread and change it at my whim...and lots of monster variety...me and my girlfriends next target, a pack of 4 hellhounds...wish us luck!

[Jefffar]

Well, remember that the big bads are also the msot likely to be slolo, thereby forced to face that group of about 4 PCs. Some of that group will ahve abilities that can reduce or remove the critters bonuses and others will have abilities that can do significant damage (ie Physical Psi Power Desicate the SUpernatural does 1D8x10 damage).

If its a big bad, the group will need team work to win, pure and simple.


Incidently, I see BTS combat lasting very little tiem for another reason. When the creature is on the offensive, it will likely ambush a lone individual and bring them down hard and fast. If the creature is on the defensive, it will probably retreat most expiditously.

[demos606]

Bad news for my players then - big bads will pretty much *never* be alone and will probably be magically or psionicly able to call for further "reinforcements". The only way I'd consider a solo big bad is something thats either higher end supernatural in nature or more than 3x the combined level of the group.

Catching a street gang leader alone is believable; catching someone capable of summoning demonic forces alone just doesn't do it for me.

[Tigermuppetcut]

I had no problem with the old damage values (x7, x10 etc.) I only had a problem with the fact the at clip size wasn't taken into account. And hade a huge problem (as most people did) that itmean a pistol on full auto did more than most robot / tank main guns! Which was crazy.

Could some one post the SDC value for a critter that represents something about halfway up the food chain, by way of example please.

Thanks.

[Sentinel]

I had no problem with the old damage values (x7, x10 etc.) I only had a problem with the fact the at clip size wasn't taken into account. And hade a huge problem (as most people did) that itmean a pistol on full auto did more than most robot / tank main guns! Which was crazy.

Could some one post the SDC value for a critter that represents something about halfway up the food chain, by way of example please.

Thanks.

Most pistols do not fire full auto. A Colt .45 that does 4D6 can only fire single shots, equal to the shooters melee attacks. There is no burst fire or auto fire modifier for pistols.
For some decently tough critters try a Tectonic Entity, or a werewolf (or any lycanthrope), I always liked Scarecrows, and the Swoki and Dar'ota (my spelling is not accurate on those names) are also good choices.