palladium combat system

8/13/2019 Palladium Combat System

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armor to "e effective, so you must e3ceed the armor rating of the targetIf the victim is a normal human, a death "lo( does one half the total damage directly to hit points andthe other half damage to SD8 If it is also a critical strike, it does one times the normal damage directto hit points in addition to one times the normal damage to SD8If the victim has e3traordinary, superhuman or supernatural PS or PA, then death "lo(s do one;uarter damage direct to hit points and three ;uarters damage to SD8 2n a critical strike, those

percentatges are dou"led, so one half damage to hit points and one and one half damage to SD8In addition to the damage, if the victim naturally "io/regenerates damage, it cannot "io/regenerate thedeath "lo( in:ury for . time units, (here the time unit is the normal "io/regeneration period Fore3ample, something that "io/regenerates every round could not "egin healing from a death "lo( for atleast . rounds, (hile someone (ho "io/regenerates once per hour (ould have to (ait . hours Notethat other forms of healing %first aid, magic, etc' can heal these (ounds at any time, and if the "eingdoes not "io/regenerate then the damage is healed at the normal rateDeath "lo(s are only effective against living targets *nimated dead %including vampires' are notaffected, nor are golems, ro"ots or people (ith full "ionic conversionSome high level characters (ill also get death "lo(s as part of their #and/to/#and training If the #t#skill specifies a specific die roll, then it may "e used as an optional effect of any attack (ith a naturaldie roll e;ual to or over the listed num"er, (ithout it having "een declared in advance #o(ever, ifyour #!# training does not e3plicitly limit it to a specific natural die roll, it can "e used "oth as an

optional effect of any critical attack (ithout declaring it prior to the strike, and it can also "e declaredprior to the strike in (hich case it only takes + action instead of t(o, "ut it still counts as a called shotPaired 1eapons$sing paired (eapons, if you have the training, allo(s you to perform multiple actions simultaneously*ll actions count to(ards the total for the round, ho(ever, so you do not get any )e3tra) attacks !he"enefit comes from the fact that the character could use actions to make simultaneous strikes,and the defender can only parry one of them, although he could still try to dodge the second*lternatively, the character (ith paired (eapons could use one to parry an attacker7s thrust (hilesimultaneously striking "ack (ith the second (eapon %using up one attack', (hich his opponentcouldn7t parry

ParryParrying is an attempt to "lock an incoming attack so that it does no damage 8haracters (ith nohand/to/hand training must spend an action to parry, (hile characters (ith a #!# skill may parry forfree any attacks they can see %e3cept for simulataneous attacks / see paired (eapon strikes a"ove'Roll +d- and add your Physical Pro(ess "onuses In hand/to/hand com"at you may add any"onuses from your #!# skill "ut N2! (eapon proficiency "onuses In melee you may add your(eapon proficiency "onuses "ut N2! your #!# "onuses!here are penalties to your parry attempt if you are trying to parry a (eapon attack (ith your "arehands, or (hen parrying a ranged attack (ith either your hands or an o":ect 8onsult the follo(ingta"le

Skill Being $sedvs #and/to/#and

vs &elee1eapon

vs !hro(n1eapon

vs Bo(s and8ross"o(s

vs Bullets andBeams

Basic - /6 /+- /+. nCaA3pert - /5 /6 /+- nCa

&artial *rts - / /4 /6 nCa

*ssassin - /5 /6 /+- nCa

&elee 1eapon orShield

- - / /5 /+-

Dodge

!he act of avoiding an attack, a dodge al(ays uses an action unless a character has an a"ility (hiche3plicitly provides for an )automatic dodge) !he defender must roll a dodge total that e;uals or

e3ceeds the strike total of the attack to avoid damage Bonuses from Physical Pro(ess and any#and/to/#and !raining (ill apply to normal dodges against hand/to/hand attacks, melee attacks, andthro(n o":ects


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Dodging arro(s, "ullets, "eam attacks and similar fast moving attacks means you do not get *N"onuses to the dodge roll unless you have a higher initiative than the attacker for that melee roundNote that a moving target is harder to hit (ith ranged (eapons, so if the defender dodges andsacrifices one e3tra action %t(o total' for movement, rolling to the ground, etc, the attacker (ill alsohave a /4 strike penalty Fast moving targets are also harder to hit, so refer to the section on strikerolls a"ove for details

* character (ith an automatic dodge does N2! use the standard "onuses 2nly the PP "onus andany "onuses listed "y the po(er that provides the automatic dodge can "e used #e may choose tospend an action on the dodge to gain his standard "onuses

Hand-to-Hand Combat Terms

Introduction

#and/to/#and 8om"at !erms

o *rmor Rating

o *ttacks Per &elee

o *ttri"ute 8heck

o Blind

o 8om"at *ctions

o 8om"at Bonuses

o 8om"at Range

o 8ritical Strike

o #it Points

o Initiative

o Enockdo(n

o Natural Roll

o &ega/Damage 8apacity

o &elee *ction

o &elee Round

o Prone

o Sneak *ttack

o Structural Damage 8apacity
http://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#introhttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#termshttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#arhttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#apmhttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#attrhttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#blindhttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#actionhttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#bonuseshttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#rangehttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#crithttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#hphttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#inithttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#knockhttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#nathttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#nathttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#mdchttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#acthttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#meleehttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#pronehttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#sneakhttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#sdchttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#introhttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#termshttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#arhttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#apmhttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#attrhttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#blindhttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#actionhttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#bonuseshttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#rangehttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#crithttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#hphttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#inithttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#knockhttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#nathttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#mdchttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#acthttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#meleehttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#pronehttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#sneakhttp://homepage.mac.com/cheethorne/Palladium/hthcombatterms.htm#sdc


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ntrodu!tion

#and/to/#and com"at in the Palladium Books system is "oth very good and very unorgani


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+ Blind H

* person is "linded if they are in a situation (here they cannot see !his could "e caused "y a "urstof light or "y "eing shrouded in darkness (ithout the a"ility to see in the dark !here are only t(olevels of darkness that applyH the first is total darkness, (here the character can see a"solutelynothing and the second is near darkness, (here there is enough light to vaguely see shapes that are

very close to the character, "ut nothing else is discerna"le In total darkness, the character loses allnormal com"at "onuses and suffers a penalty of /+- to all com"at rollsJ all skills that use vision areimpossi"le to perform In near darkness, the character loses all normal com"at "onuses and suffers apenalty of /4 to all com"at rolls unless the target is in =rappling RangeJ all skills that use vision suffera /.-K penalty *ttacks per melee and initiative are unchanged, "ut the character (ill "e lashing out(ildly and mostly guessing (here his opponents are

+ 8om"at *ctions H

!here are four main types of com"at actions !he first is the offensive action, (hich is generally usedas an attack or in place of an attack !he second is the defensive action, (hich only can "e usedagainst a single incoming attack (hen applica"le, "oth Parry and Dodge are defense actions !hethird is the deflection action, (hich attempts to deflect or reduce incoming damage if it is not avoidedJRoll (ith punch C impact C fall falls into this category !he forth is the movement action, (hich allo(s acharacter to move or perform a movement action * character can only perform a single offensiveaction per melee attack, although some re;uire more the one melee attack to finish * character canperform only a single defensive action against each offensive action, although certain offensiveactions can only "e defended against "y certain defensive actions If an offensive action hits acharacter, such as if a defensive action failed to (ork, a single deflection action, such as Break Fall,can "e used Please see #and/to/#and 8om"at *ctions for a complete list of com"at actions

+ 8om"at Bonuses H

8om"at "onuses are any "onuses that apply to rolls made during com"at, specifically to 8om"at*ctions, such as strike, parry, and dodge 8om"at "onuses can "e ac;uired through a variety of

sources, such as high physical attri"utes, hand/to/hand com"at skills, and racial "onuses Some"onuses may not "e applica"le at all times and it is important to keep track of such "onusesseparately For e3ample, 4 to strike from a high PP attri"ute does not apply to using a hand gun,(hile the skill 1P Pistol provides no "onuses (hen using a s(ord to strike an opponent

+ 8om"at Range %Long &elee Range, &elee Range, =rappling Range' H

1hen it comes to hand/to/hand com"at, a short distance can make a (orld of difference In meleecom"at, there are three distancesH Long &elee Range, &elee Range, and =rappling Range !hesedistances are very important as certain a"ilities can only "e used at certain distances Fighting stylescan also change (hich distance that a person (ould like to engage at For e3ample, a (restlerpossesses a num"er of grappling attacks so (ould like to engage at =rappling Range, a "o3er en:oysfurther reach so (ould like to engage at &elee Range, and anyone e;uipped (ith a long pole arm,

like a pike, (ould find it almost impossi"le to function at distances closer then Long &elee RangePlease note that (orrying over com"at ranges can slo( com"at do(n, so if they are not for yourcampaign please ignore them and anything to do (ith them Since there can "e creatures of differentsi


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height or length of the com"atant *t this range, most attack can "e used, "ut thereare attacks that cannot "e performed "ecause they re;uire the com"atants to "ecloser or further a(ay from each other If using a grid com"at system, a #uman/si


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* Natural Roll is used for some special a"ilities, such as 8ritical Strikes, and re;uires that a specificroll on a t(enty/sided die "e (ithin a certain range (ithout "onuses For e3ample, a character thatre;uires a natural roll of +0 or - in order to perform a critical strike and even through that charactermay have a "onus to strike of +-, the character cannot roll a 0 and perform a critical strikeJ thecharacter can only roll a +0 or - on a t(enty/sided die

+ &ega/Damage 8apacity H %&D8'

* close relative of SD8 and #it Points, &D8 is used for po(erful supernatural creatures, somecreatures in a magic/rich environment, and some high/tech e;uipment Aach point of &D8 ise;uivalent to +-- points of SD8, so a single point of mega/damage %or &D' (ill cause +-- pointsof damage against a creature (ith only SD8 and #it Points #o(ever, (eapons that do not inflictmega/damage cannot hurt an &D8 creature, unless other(ise stated

+ &elee *ction H

* melee action is similar to a melee attack, "ut it applies to things that are not directly related tocom"at For e3ample, using a skill or moving re;uires melee actions and not melee attacksPerforming a melee action re;uires spending a melee attack unless a character has "oth meleeattacks and melee actions, in (hich case performing a melee action does not re;uire the use of anattack per melee unless the character has no remaining melee actions for that round !he use of thisterm is not favored "ecause it can lead to confusing situations a"out (hat counts as a melee attackand (hat counts as a melee action and the use of the term in pu"lished materials is not al(aysconsistent Personally, I never use melee actions, I convert any "onus melee actions into "onusattacks per melee

+ &elee Round H

* &elee Round is a span of +. seconds and is the "asis for all com"at in the Palladium Bookssystem * minute consists of four melee rounds

+ Prone H

* com"atant is considered to "e prone if they are laying on the floor, such as after a fall or afterhaving "een knocked do(n &elee attackers gain a "onus of + to strike the prone target, "utattackers using ranged (eapons suffer a penalty of / to strike the prone target * prone com"atantalso suffers a penalty of /+ to strike (ith melee and ranged (eapons, unless the ranged (eapon ishelped "y "racing it, such as a gun In the case of a (eapon that is helped "y "racing, the pronecom"atant gains a "onus of + to strike It takes a melee attack for a prone character to stand up, "utthey suffer a penalty of / to all defensive actions until their ne3t melee attack as they drop their guardto stand up

+ Sneak *ttack H

* sneak attack is performed (hen the attacker or attackers attacks the defender or defenders (ithoutthe defenders kno(ing that the attack is a"out to take place *t this point, the attacker or attackersgain a single melee attack each "efore initiative is rolled During this attack, the defender can only usea defensive or deflection com"at action that does not re;uire the use of a melee attack to perform Inaddition, the defenders lose all com"at "onuses during this surprise attack During the first roundfollo(ing the sneak attack, roll initiative as normal, "ut place all attackers a"ove all defenders fordetermining the order of com"at

+ Structural Damage 8apacity H %SD8'

!his term represents t(o things, it is the amount of normal punishment that a living creature can(ithstand "efore it "egins to lose hit points and it represents the amount of damage that an o":ect can(ithstand "efore "eing destroyed 2":ects do not normally possess hit points, instead they haveSD8 %or &D8 in some settings', and (hen their SD8 is reduced to


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"egin to suffer any serious damage Bruises and cuts and scrapes (ould all "e considered SD8damage, (hile deep cuts and "roken "ones (ould "e considered hit point damage Normal #umansdo not possess any SD8 "ecause they are not physically tough enough

Revised RIFTS Combat Rules

By Edward A. May

Palladium Books have long heard the complaint, from consumers and retailers alike, but little has been said

about a revision to correct the malady within the game. What malady is this? Simple, it is called mega-damage.

halfhearted accommodation was made in the !onversion Book, the first edition, but it was hardly

sufficient. "t suggested converting all of the high tech stuff straight over to S.#.!. e$uivalents - one for one.%hat was hardly enough, because everyone believed that this stuff should still do&have more than conventional

weapons and armor.

We will begin by e'ploring where this error in game design began, and e'plore a possible solution to the

problem.

Game History

S.D.C. & Hit Points

With the original Palladium (antasy )ole-Playing *ame, Palladium differentiated between damage

capacities with a system of S.#.!. and +it Points. +it Points were used for things that were living, S.#.!. was

used for things that were inanimate. rmor and weapons had S.#.!. and characters had +it Points.

With the introduction of later games, suddenly characters had S.#.!., representing the ability of a characterto absorb non-life threatening damage. novel approach, B%, it was made without any reference to damage

inflicted by firearms or bladed weapons that should have been inflicted straight to hit points - in fact doing thiswas, as a rule, strictly forbidden. eanwhile inanimate obects remained S.#.!., without any difference

between structure and armor strength. rmor )ating was merely a system of deciding how much of the body itprotected - and a good roll always seemed to somehow bypass the armor.

The Advent of e!a"Dama!e

ega-#amage was brought into play first with the )obotech )P*, as a way of best fitting the setting.

Suddenly super high-tech war machines were impervious to conventional small arms and e'plosives. /o

complaints, that " am aware of, were ever made against mega-damage in this setting. "t accurately portrayed the)obotech setting from the popular across nime series.

With the introduction of )"(%S in the early 012s, many die hard Palladium fans, were shocked to see ega-

#amage appear as a dominating factor in the new game. Since then it has become loved by some, but abhorredby many others. Some gamers actually refuse to play )"(%S owing to this one factor.

The Solution

%he only solution " could surmise is a complete dissolution of the old system in favor of a new system. "

cannot possibly e'pect Palladium to address this issue professionally, because the sheer logistics of reprinting ofall of their books with revised rules would hamstring Palladium financially. Perhaps if the problem would have

been addressed with an early revision, then the new books could have been printed otherwise. %hus, " as a longtime game master for )"(%S and other Palladium games have taken it upon myself to create a revised version of


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this matter in game mechanics. 3ou may like it, you may not, but " fully intend to use it to great effect in thefuture in all of the ))4** games.

Dama!e Ca#a$ity

3ou may call them hit points, others may call them hit dice, and others may call it what ever they will. (or

simplicity0s sake, "0ve chosen the neutral name of #amage !apacity, #.!., or #. !ap. %his is the factor that willrule over all others, hit points, S.#.!., and .#.!. alike. 5%hough these archaic terms will be used in converting

the system to this new, more realistic, and more deadly system.6

character begins with the e$uivalent of his P.7., plus 8#9 per level, in #.!ap, in addition to any

5previously S.#.!.6 added from his&her :.!.!. - for a total #amage !apacity. With e'perience, this amount willcontinue to climb. /ew physical skills will also contribute to this total.

Absorbin! Dama!e

character can absorb certain types of damage fairly well, including falls, punches, kicks, and blunt attacks.

:thers cannot. %o determine how much damage can be absorbed by a character, per attack, figure that 8&; of

their total #amage !apacity, can be absorbed in every attack of this type. %hus a character with a total of


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+ere are some common e'amplesA

Plastic an - =+untsman - ;

rban Warrior - 9Bushman - 9

*ladiator - @!- - ;

!-8 - C

%his system makes Plastic an a roughly good $uality suit of body armor that can resist most light

damaging attacks, and has the added benefit of providing environmental protection. 7ssentially a hard-/B!

suit. eanwhile true combat types like !-8 are efficient at stopping anything short of a ;2 caliber full metal

acket round. +owever true this may be, a rail gun would chew up most anything on a battlefield - armored ornot. sing an )*-8= Boom *un against armored infantry would be massive overkill, like using a tank cannon

on infantry.

7'tending this system over to heavier forms of armor would be appropriate as well, especially in the case of

armored vehicles, armored robot vehicles, and similar. We take it for granted that they are armored to theirfullest e'tent for their structure.

4ehicles not specifically designed as armored vehicles, however, like cars, trucks, semi-trucks, hover-vehicles, aircraft, etc. have 8&C the normal penetration resistance. eaning that a /ightwing with =;2 .#.!.,

would have a penetration resistance of 9. %his means that an -=@ loaded with full metal acket rounds couldpepper that thing with damage. vehicle with this sort of protection, if it is described with a reinforced pilot0s

compartment, however, has full armored protection of that area. %hus that same /ightwing with its 8;2 .#.!.reinforced pilot0s compartment has a penetration resistance of 8; in those areas.

!reatures with supernatural attributes are another matter to consider. :ne must take a couple of factors into

account - their .#.!. and the nature of this .#.!. protection. !reatures that are soft skinned like a very

human like, but nonetheless supernatural, creature will have 8&; their .#.!. in Penetration )esistance. %hus a

creature with 822 .#.!. now has a Penetration )esistance of =. %his means that they are impervious to mostsmall arms fire, all the way up to a .=; !aliber round fired at point blank range. eanwhile a creature with8,222 .#.!. has a Penetration )esistance of =2, which is impervious to most support and infantry level

weapons. +owever, if a *litterboy with an )*-8= walks up, or a tank drives up that creature could be in danger.%hat covers creatures with soft flesh. %hen you have to consider creatures with hard protective features, like a

dragon with their legendary scaly hide, or a (ury Beetle0s tough carapace. %reat this sort of protection the sameway you would treat an armored vehicle - 8&82 the .#.!. With a +atchling #ragon that winds up with ;2

.#.!., then you wind up with a Penetration )esistance of ;. :nce that same +atchling reaches maturity in922 years, guessing that it becomes ,;22 - penetration resistance becomes ;2D %here is very little in the books

that would phase a dragon of this power, let alone the most powerful *reat +orned #ragon possible with C,222.#.!., which would have a P.). of C22.

.D.C.'S.D.C. Conversions

.#.!. !onversions are relatively straightforward and simple, take the amount that already e'ists, and

multiply it by ;. +ere are the new #amage !apacities for various structures in )"(%SA

Plastic an Body rmor - 8@;.

rban Warrior - ;2.Bushman -


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S.#.!. !onversions are even simpler - convert them straight across 8 S.#.!. per one #amage. %hus a *W-(8= with 8,C22 S.#.!. now has 8,C22 #. !ap. !omparing the (-8= to the /ightwing then, you wind up with a

new age et slightly tougher than its pre-cataclysm stable-mate, thanks to new technologies.

Some obects in )"(%S are inappropriately rated for this system, however, and are perhaps poorly rated even

for the )"(%S game with the e'isting rules set. fter all, a battleship with a doFen serious strikes can sink, even

though it hasn0t been blown completely out of the water. %hus ships like the %iconderoga with 2,222 .#.!.,that would give them 822,222 #. !ap, and a P.). of ,222. %his means that the armor is so thick that you wouldessentially need a full-scale nuke to do any damage to it. better system would involve a damage capacity per

area. n e'ampleA

%iconderogaG

pper +ull - bove waterline 5Per 820'820 section6 - 8,;2 #. !ap. 5P.). - ;.6

>ower +ull - Below waterline 5Per 820'820 section6 - 8,@;2 #. !ap. 5P.). - ower +ull - Belly 5Per 820'820 section6 - 8,222 #. !ap. 5P.). - 2.6

#eck - 5Per 820'820 section6 - ,;22 #. !ap. 5P.). - ;2.6

Weapon turrets, screws, and similar can all have fi'ed amounts of damage, but these areas should be labeledin this fashion so that it makes it apparent that although the vessel is massive, it is not a super armoreduggernaut. !arriers were never meant to duke it out with an enemy point blank, they were meant to stand off

and strike with their aircraft. carrier would yield like tissue paper against missiles and large caliber cannons."n addition to this, create a table of damages that can be inflicted or ust use some common sense in the matter.

"f the vessel is struck in the aft lower hull - then assume that one of the engine rooms are now flooding. *ive it anumber of compartments that can flood without causing adverse effects, and go with it. "t makes it a lot more

dramatic and realistic. /aturally, as a combat vessel, it will have provisions for pumping, repair, and such - sodon0t make it unrealistically low either. " would say about two doFen good hits below the water line 58 82'82

foot areas6 will send her to the #avie Eones locker. doFen on one side could cause her to roll. (or a totaldamage capacity, " would go ahead and use the 822,222 #. !ap its converted .#.!. would provide, but use the

P.).s for each separate area. Eust rule that once that much damage has been inflicted, the vessel is in serious

trouble of structural failure, fires are popping up faster than damage control can counter them, and the vessel is

essentially doomed. #on0t count stuff like turrets, screws, and similar against this total - ust stuff regarding thehull0s integrity itself.

!onverting supernatural creatures over is a simple conversion, ust multiply the .#.!. by five, and thatbecomes their #. !ap.

Penetration (alue

ll weapons have some measure of penetration value, but not all weapons are created e$ually in terms of

their ability to penetrate armor. >asers are notoriously poor armor penetrators. )ail *uns are good armorpenetrators due to their velocity, but P weapons are still better. Plasma is good for cooking a soldier in body

armor, but is poor at penetrating the armor plate of an armored vehicle. +ere are some rules of thumb to go by

when determining penetration value. %hese factors will be determined by how much .#. the weapon inflictedprior to the conversion to the new systemA

asersG 8&< the a'. #amage of the weapon. 5%hus a laser that inflicts = .#. 5=#96 will have a Penetration

4alue of CA )oughly e$uivalent to pre-cataclysm assault rifles using .P. rounds.6 /ote that ion weapons areclassified within this same variety.6 Pulse lasers are a different entity entirely. Pulse lasers space their beams by

microseconds to counter the diffusion that typically hampers high powered lasers as a result of vaporiFedmaterial on the target - thus treat any bursts from a pulse laser weapon as having a penetration value based on

the total burst damage. %hus an >-2 or !P-=2, has a P.4. of 8DPlasmaG 8&; the a'. #amage of the weapon. 5%hus a plasma blast that inflicts 92 .#. 58#9'826 will have a

Penetration 4alue of 8A )oughly e$uivalent to pre-cataclysm white phosphorus, if not a little better.6Rail GunsG 8& the a'. #amage of the weapon. 5%hus a )ail *un that inflicts =2 .#. 58#='826 will have a

Penetration 4alue of 2D sing this same formula for the )*-8= Boom *un that inflicts 8C2 .#. 5


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penetration value versus mega-damage. n P ini-issile has a P.4. of =2, since it inflicts 8#='82 .#.eanwhile a 22 mm +.7..%. round that does


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.D. +ea#on Conversion Table,

%his system is fairly simple to convertA

8#= .#. J ;#= #mg.

8#9 .#. J ;#9 #mg.#= .#. J 8#='82 #mg.

#9 .#. J 8#9'82 #mg.

=#= .#. J #='82 #mg.


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of in the previous system. " know my players >W3S opted for plasma mini-missiles if given the option./ow, you see that plasma is good for certain things, but not so good for others. "t can fry a guy in body armor,

and it will utterly annihilate anything that is poorly armored, yet against armored vehicles it0s ust an e'pensivepyrotechnic show. eanwhile the P ini sucks for anti-infantry operations, given its small blast radius, yet

against armor it can put serious hurt on these.

ccording to Spirit West, the !-=2) was a lightweight and less e'pensive alternative to the S-


15/45

%. #*F standard denotes no possibiity o! bursts or sprays, right&

'nswer(Rate of ire- Standard means that the weapon is capable of firin sinle shots

(aimed or wild%, and is capable of firin bursts only if the weapon description states it can fire

bursts. or eample a /il0s !12 Pulse rifle is capable of firin a sinle shot or a pulse burst

(3 shot burst%.

+. What is a meee attack& ow much time approx. is one& -oud a in/a 0uicer or

/ust a 2ystic in/a3 draw his sword and strike in one attack&

'nswer(* melee attac is an action durin a melee round. )elee rounds are $1 seconds

lon4 durin that time, characters can perform ! or 1 actions. 5rawin a sword is one action

and striin is a second action.

4. Woud a WP ski be needed to get a bonus using 5W weapons&'nswer(6es, the appropriate /.P. will i'e a bonus to T/ /eapons.

6. 5he 7SS conversion rues !or eroes seems to be much di!!erent in regards to the

suggestions given in eroes ). What woud a good guideine be !or aowing eroes

characters to have 7SS martia arts& Shoud I continue to use the rues !ound in the

back o! 7SS&

'nswer(6ou, should use the rules as found in Heroes 7nlimited +nd for any con'ersions

from 8in9as : Superspies.

8. 9o a P- reay start with ) actions per meee round pus any gained !rom and to

and and *.-.-. bonuses& 'so does this appy to /ust a !ew o! Paadium games or

a o! them&

'nswer(6es, the + actions per melee round applies to all PC and its for all the ames. This

rule has not always been applied to 8PC.

:. 're there any rues on vehice vs. character combat& i.e. a character with sonic

!ight vs. a 5arok !ighter&3

'nswer(;ehicle to Pedestrian combat is mentioned in Heroes 7nlimited and 8in9as and

Superspies in the 'ehicle combat section. or characters capable of aerial combat, Combat

maneu'ers similar to the aircraft maneu'ers may be possible, and if you wish a sill

percentae may be assined to characters with natural fliht for maneu'erin (P.P. ! is

reasonable to determine the base percentae%. alternati'ely, if you ha'e access to Turtles

Guide to the 7ni'erse, you could replace the aerial combat rules in Heroes 7nlimited etc,

with the Rules found there, incorporatin T).

;. I am a bit con!used on this autododge issue.


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meee actions=attacks are used up. -orrect& What about the >ittani serpent power

armor, how does that work with having norma dodge and auto dodge bonuses&

'nswer(6ou can use the auto dode whene'er you want in place of a parry without

spendin any additional attacs to 5ode when o'er 1"" feet. &f

the PC spends the entire round dodin forfitin all dodes then it0s a #? to 5ode.

1%. ow many times can a character parry& -an 0ohn parryautomatic3 an attack !rom

bi and mike and sti have his attack to use&

'nswer(* character can parry e@ual to their number of attacs (actions% per melee round. &f

they ha'e automatic parry then can also still attac.

1+. 9oes roing with a punch take an attack !rom the de!ending character& 'nd i! so,

does it take his very next attack, eaving him on the de!ensive !or his attackerCs next

strike& *r does the ost attack=action come o!! the de!enderCs tota number o! attacks,

etting him counter strike&

'nswer(&t does count as a action. (you could say reco'erin from the blow


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14. When it states that Dthe victim oses initiative and one attackD, does this mean that

he oses his very next attack& *r /ust one !rom his tota& 'nd what about when it says

the victim oses an attack, but it says nothing about initiative&

'nswer(AThe 'ictim loses initiati'e and one attacA, means that the 'ery net attac is lost,and the characters future actions in this melee round will occur last. &f they lose a attac, but

do not lose initiati'e, they lose their net scheduled action, but if they still ha'e

attacs


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sdc damage. 5he reason that I ask this is because one o! my gamers got kicked by a

demon, !ew a good 4?!t and !e a good 1??!t o!! a sma ci!!. is armor took the 29-

o! the kick but what about the rest&

'nswer(6es, damae would be inflicted. iure that if a )#?" tan (a )5C 'ehicle% dro'e

off a cliff, its dri'er would still suffer from the impact (which is S5C based%. The rules for this

are on pae $+ of the Rifts )ain Boo under APhysical 5amae /hile &nside a ).5.C.Structure.A

)%. When a character changes occCs their od skis no onger advance right& We

what about and to and skis i! their new occ gives them to or i! they spend the

skis to get it. 9oes it advance when they do in eve or ony when they advance past

their od eve !rom the !irst occ&

'nswer(&t oes up as they ad'ance in there new character class and does not ha'e to wait

till they pass the le'el of their old character class.

)+. I! a mage has % eves in one occ and + eves in another what is their eve when it

comes to spe strength and !or spes that base damage on eve&

'nswer(&f a certain spell is only applicable to one of the DCC0s, then use that as your base

le'el. &f it is applicable to both DCCs, use the hiher le'el.

)4. 9o characters with supernatura PS add their bonus to 29 weapon attacks vibro

knives3& I want to know whether the PS damage bonus is added to a o! the 29

weapon attacks regardess or ony those speci!icay stated&'nswer(The P.S. damae bonus only applies if there is a physical component lie a 'ibro#

blade, rune weapon or T/ weapon for eample. or enery, maic or psionic weapons lie

lamin Swords and Psi#Swords there is no P.S. damae bonus.

)6. What i! a character with supernatura PS earns a martia art which o!!ers unique

moves with a set damage. 5wo exampes( a3 t -ommandoA 5he automatic

throw=!ipA d6 S9- damageA What woud a supernatura character in!ict& b3

>arate=in/itsu=etcA 5ake some o! the specia kicks i.e. roundhouse, hook kick=etc3A

5hese a have preset damage but I am uncertain what a supernatura character i.e

0apanese goding3 woud in!ict.

'nswer(7nless they are specifically eared toward )5C, the damae would be

unchaned.

)8. 9oes PP give any additiona puses to initiative !or the payer character&

'nswer(There is a accumulati'e E$ at a P.P. of 33, 3?, 3F, !+, !1, !> but stops at !> with a

bonus of E?.

):. 2issies and miniAmissies a have a bast radius, and they a hit the main body. I!

the main body takes a sixty point hit do the other ocations ike the head3 take the


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thirty points !rom the bast area& 'nd what about bow through& ' Cboom gunC does

%96x1? damage, to a suit o! deadAboy armour this gives 1? to 1%? points o! wasted

damage.

'nswer(or missile combat, we ha'e deliberately ept it simple so the answer is no only

the main body taes damae. There is liewise no rules for blow throuh. &f the G) wants to

mae it more realistic (and more complicated% for his indi'idual campain, he is free tomodify the rules.

);. What is the maximum number o! hand to hand actions a character can have&

'nswer(There is no maimum (other than what the G) will allow%.

%?. 9oes the boxing ski add an attack at a times or /ust during meee that doesnCt

invove missie weapons&

'nswer(Dnly durin melee weapons combat it does not apply to any form of ranedcombat.

%1. I have question about damage !rom hand to hand attacks. ICm a E2 and woud /ust

ike to know about the supernatura strength in ightbane. *ne o! my payers has a

PS o! %; equaing a $)+ S.9.-. Is this what is added to damage !rom say a sword

strike&

'nswer(6ou, would add the E+! S5C damae, as well as the punch damae from

supernatural P.S.(in this case ?5? S5C%. So if usin a sword that inflicts +5? S5C damae,

a total of >5?E+! S5C damae is inflicted in 8ihtbane.

%). I have a question about attributes over the tabe in the #i!ts book. 're there any

bonuses gained !rom stats over %?&

'nswer(6es, they can be found in the Rifts G) Guide on pae +!.

%%. I! a character is riding a mount that gets attacks o! its own ike a Simvan on an

*strosaur3, does the P- have to expend a meee action=attack, in the !orm o! a

success!u horsemanship ski ro, to goad the beast into doing so, or wi it do so

competey independent o! the rider, other conditions range and accessibiity o!

targets, etc.3 permitting& Woud a horsemanship ski ro be necessary to keep !rom

!aing o!! the mount as it reared to attack&

'nswer(The rider would 8DT ha'e to epend his own actions #the mount would et to

attac independently. Howe'er, unless he is 'ery well trained with that specific steed, a rider

will ha'e to roll 's. horsemanship to eep from fallin off.

%+. I! some one tries to strike you and makes it past your '# but you dodge doeCs it

sti strike&

'nswer(* successful dode totally e'ades the strie reardless of the attac roll.


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%4. With something with an '# o! 4 woud it work ike this 1A+ miss, a 4 woud hit the

'# and 6$ woud hit bypassing the '#&

'nswer(6es, that is correct.

%6. In combat i! two characters are !ighting and running towards a destination, and

both characters had the same speed but di!!erent number o! attacks, by the system

the person with the ower number o! attacks woud reach the destination !irst. Is there

an optiona rue in the system somewhere that woud hande this situation with more

reaism&

'nswer(Thouh the characters may mo'e different amounts per attac, barin any

distractions both characters will mo'e the same distance o'er the same amount of time.

(combat actions are abstract as to when they occur in combat%. Howe'er, if mo'in and

actin at the same time, a character with more attacs will be able to co'er a reater

distance than a character with less attacs, if doin similar actions.

%8. I cannot !ind a mecha combat !or the spider sku waker, shoudnCt there be one&

'nswer(The Spider Sull /aler uses the General Robot Combat Basic and =lite.

%:. 9oes a power punch aways take up two attacks& Sometimes it doesnCt say that3

'nswer(6es, unless its specifically stated as doin less or more.

%;. When it says hand to hand basic is ri!ts is what I pay by the way3 that a catch a&

So even !armers have basic&

'nswer(Basic hand to hand trainin, is 9ust that, basic trainin in combat. 8ot e'eryone

would ha'e combat trainin. /ilderness fol would probably ha'e hand to hand basic, but

many people would ha'e no hand to hand trainin at all.

+?. In your atest book !rom eroes you stated a W.P. !or raiguns and heavy asersA

were are they mentioned and do you know anything about the heavy asers&

'nswer(They are not described in the H7+ main boo, but certain hero cateories (aliens,

bionics, and robots% can ha'e these hih tech enery weapon systems. These systems are

described in those cateories. the Supplements *liens 7nlimited and ;illains 7nlimited ha'e

more of these cateories of weapons.

+1. I! I have #obot -ombat("ite what ski do I get automaticay& Is it #obot

-ombat(


21/45

Gehice& *ne !or Power 'rmors and another one !or #obots&

'nswer(6ou select Robot Combat =lite for each and e'ery type of Robot you want elite

trainin in so you would ha'e + pics for the S*)*S and lyin titan, all other robot and

power armour would recei'e Robot Combat Basic

+%. ' Person with Piot( #obots and Power 'rmor, piots the Spider Sku Waker and

his comrade with the Weapon System ski, contros the weapons& 9o they have !u

e!!ectiveness& *r must they posses the ski #obot -ombat in order to engage in

combat&

'nswer(They do not need Robot Combat to pilot a robot into battle, if they do not ha'e it,

they pilot it a minimum effecti'eness in combat. Dnly hand to hand trainin bonuses apply.

++. ' #i!ts question( 9oes the paired weapons bonus=ski a character receives at 8th

eve !or handAtoAhand expert=martia arts work !or range weapons ike pistos andri!es&

'nswer(&t only wors for hand to hand weapons.

+4. What is the imit to the number o! martia arts !orms you can get In nin/as and

superspies& -an you /ust train to get di!!erent ones&

'nswer(&n Re'ised 8in9as and Superspies most D.C.C.0s can only select Dne form while

others can select two initially. earnin additional martial arts is possible, but you would ha'e

to spend se'eral years (the time to learn% in trainin in the new martial art form, 9ust to

achie'e le'el $ proficiency, and is not recommended for beinnin characters. &t is lielearnin new sills as outlined in Heroes 7nlimited.

+6. 5he -ockroach in 'ustraiia, technicay, coud have a PS o! Supernatura )8?. I

was wondering what kind o! damage this does.

'nswer(The latest Supernatural PS damae tables o up to 2" in )ystic Russia. or e'ery

$" points of P.S. beyond 2" add $" ).5. to the damae inflicted per standard punch.

+8. I had a game where I had a character get koCd in the water. I was wonder i! there is

some kind o! 9rowning 9amage 5abe or=i! not what shoud I have the character ro

!or damage.

'nswer(There is no table as such for drownin. &f a character is unconscious, they will

suffer immediate effects from drownin, includin the luns fillin with water. 7nless

immediate life sa'in treatment (first *id% is pro'ided, the character will slip into a coma

(irst *id should be used%. Proloned eposure underwater will result in more serious

medical treatment bein re@uired to re'i'e the character.

+:. ow does the oneA!inger attack o! the snake stye kung !u work, exacty& Is it %d6

directy to hit points or is there a variety o! e!!ects you can choose !rom&

'nswer(The one finer#tip attac is used to deli'er chi stries, usin the 'arious forms of


22/45

Chi )astery abilities includin Dne iner Chi, of direct Chi *ttacs.

+;. I wanted to know i! a cosmo knight can damage a vampire through a punch,

cosmic bast, or, cosmic weapon&

'nswer(There weapons and natural damae is considered supernatural, so they can inflictdamae to 'ampires.

4?. *n page :4 o! in/as and Superspies eve 6 o! the 'ikido eve advancement tabe,

it says D


23/45

46. In the #obotech #PE, does the piot add his hand to hand ski bonuses to the

Geritech when it is in Euardian or 0et modes& I woud think not !or 0et mode, but I am

not sure. 'so, does the piot get to add in his P.P. bonuses !or strike, parry, and

dodge3 when !ying a Geritech in 0et mode& 9oes the P.P. bonus add when piotingother vehices&

'nswer(&t applies in all modes, but is only for hand to hand combat includin dodes.

48. Suppose two chi masters were ocked in batte, one using positive chi

skis'kido3, and the other using negative chi skisSnake Stye3. 5he negative

master uneashes a chi attack that the positive master !ais to de!end we enough

against, causing the 'kido master to become in!ected with )? points o! negative chi.

Wi the goodAaigned, positive chi master be abe to HaccessH and HuseH the )?

negative points o! chi to power neutra chi skis, ike hardened chi, or does thenegative chi in!ection nui!y a o! their powersbecause they were not trained to use

negative chi3&

'nswer(6es they can use neati'e Chi to power 8eutral Chi Sills.

4:. 're there any o!!icia rues regarding damage caused !rom using a garrote& a

weapon used to strange 3 I! not, what woud be a reasonabe suggestion.

'nswer(There are some unofficial suestions in Rifter $ under the 8ew Roman Republic.

4;. What are the penaty !or characters using ) "nergy Pistos !or exampe the

ambidextrous uick Fex 'iens.

'nswer(There are no penalties as such. * weapon may be fired


24/45

6). I have your new ri!ter J8. In there is a new ski caed anticipation. 'nd the way the

description o! it goes, it sounds ike no matter what as ong as you get a + or higher

you hit and they donCt. So coud you pease cear this up and te me exacty how it

works and give me at east ) exampes o! it.

'nswer(That is how it wors, normally with a simultaneous attac, there is no chance to

e'ade the blows bein dealt. This sill allows you to strie first in a simultaneous attac andstops them from attacin bac, its neati'e is the loss of power and the minimal damae

(no P.S. bonus% inflicted.

6%. I! orma strength and Supernatura strength have damage tabes, then why not

extraordinary and Superhuman strength&

'nswer(There are notes for etraordinary and superhuman strenth in the Rifts G) Guide

on pae +! under the AA*umentedA Humans (uicers : Craies%, )utants, Cybors :

=oseletonsA section.

6+. 2y !riends and I recenty had an argument about paired weapons in the !antasy

#PE. 2y !riend says that i! I take W.P. Sword, W.P. -hain and W.P. Paired then I must

choose either sword or chain to go with paired. e says I cannot use both chain

weapons and swords paired but I can use either /ust sword or /ust chain. So what I am

trying to say is that woud W.P. Paired become W.P. Paired Sword or whatever W.P. I

wanted to combine with paired.

'nswer(6ou can combine different weapons with /.P. Paired, i.e. Sword and Shield, )ace

and Sword etc.

64. I! you have a -osmo knight with !our arms that has a cosmic bast doing 1d6B1?.

-an he !ire the bast with a arms causing +96B1? damage or are they a separate

attacks.

'nswer(They would be separate attacs.

66. I! a -yberknight !rom ri!ts was dropped in the word o! nin/as in superspies, woud

he be abe to earn martia arts&

'nswer(&t is up to the indi'idual G), and remember, they do tae time to learn and the

character would be out of action for that period of time learnin.

68. Woud 9im 2ak a!!ect creatures o! pure negative chi& I am incined to think so as

9im 2ak is not a negative chi attack, but rather an attack on a creatureCs abiity to

regenerate chi either positive or negative3

'nswer(6es, they would be affected by 5im )a, howe'er they must be in solid form to be

effected. 8ote many of the upper echelons demons, and the yama ins would now

possible cures for 5im )a, or miht be immune to it.

6:. 're there any types o! creatures that are immune to 'temi abiities&


25/45

'nswer()any creatures will not be affected by atemi abilities unless they ha'e been

studied etensi'ely, and the martial artist nows their wea points (con'entional trainin

enerally applies to humans, and must humanoids%.

6;. Is there any rues !or combat between moving vehicesespeciay aircra!t3& Wouda piot have to use attacks to turn the pane around, i! so how many&

'nswer(;ehicular combat can be found in 8in9as and Superspies or Heroes 7nlimited.

8?. -an a wo!en or ogre siKe character use singe handed human siKe weapons in the

Paadium Fantasy #PE&

'nswer(6es they can, thouht it miht be a bit awward to use dependin on the weapon.

81. Woud any o! the WPs appy to a sack !u o! doorknobs bunt, !ai&'nswer(8ormally blunt, but if plenty of slac is pro'ided then /.P. Chain would apply.

8). When you !ire a voey o! missies do you ro to hit !or each missie or do you ro

once and mutipy the damage by the amount o! missies !ired in that voey&

'nswer(6ou roll once to hit for the entire 'olley. or damae you may roll for one missile

and multiply by the number of missiles in the 'olley, or roll each damae separately.

8%. In in/as 7 Superspies it says that in/itsu counts as both your primary 7secondary martia arts !orms. I! that is true, then how coud you take the martia arts it

ists as getting reduced time to master i! your primary martia art is in/itsu&

'nswer(The earlier printin of 8in9as and Superspies allowed a dedicated martial artist to

ha'e 3 forms. *lso it is possible to learn additional forms later on in life.

8+. ow does the #ahuA2an do 29 punches without Supernatura Strength&

'nswer(Sie, and Bul.

84. I! a P- has $4 to strike, !or exampe, and he is trying to hit a sma and di!!icut

target ets say at A%3, then is is modi!ied bonus to strike $), or do i eiminate the

bonus entirey, and then take away the minus, making him have a tota o! A%&

'nswer(7nless otherwise stated, tae the penalty away from the bonus. &n the abo'e case

it would be a E+ bonus to hit.

86. I! you have a titan 0uicer an S.9.-. being, with over 1,??? S.9.-. and he is shot in

the head with a sniper ri!e doing 19+B1?, and a +? is roed '9 a )? to strike is aso

roed !or a damage rating o! :? S.9.-. whoud he 5he 0uicer 3 die&

'nswer(&f oin by the numbers, he will not die. 7sin the rules form the compendium of

contemporary weapons, a uicer would ha'e +!" S5C for the head and the bullet will do


26/45

$ for a rae

+ for a head shot

! for a brain shot (5irect to Hit Points%

* Critical strie would double this damae So a standard head shot doin !" points damae,

and on a critical strie will deal $?" S5C damae to the uicer. 8ot enouh to ill, butseriously wound. Blood oss will still be hih, and if unattended the uicer will die soon (?

per minute from the hih calibre bullet direct to hit points% if not treated.

88. Initiative and 'ttacks( I! a character with + attacks wins initiative, does he=she take

a o! those attacks be!ore the next character has an opportunity to act& *r do

characters 7 P-s take it in turns to have one action a!ter another unti everyone has

runAout o! attacks&

'nswer(They tae it in turns until they run out of attacs &.=. ! people are fihtin *, B, C,

5. * C and 5 ha'e ! attacs each, while B has 1 attacs per melee. They o in the followinorder *, B, C, 5 (based on their initiati'e role so the attacs (presumin no dodes occur will

o lie this%.

*ction $- *, B, C, 5

*ction +- *, B, C, 5

*ction 3- *, B, C, 5

*ction !- *, B, C, 5

*ction 1- B

8:. ow is it that '# works, ICve read it a coupe o! times but I sti canCt !igure it out.'nswer(There are two types of *.R. 8atural *.R. and *rtificial *.R. /ith 8atural *.R. any

roll abo'e the *.R. hits, and any Roll below the *.R. misses or bounces off doin no

damae. /ith *rtificial *.R. any roll abo'e the *.R. penetrates doin full damae to the

person


27/45

:?. I need veri!ication on rues !or shooting !rom a moving vehice. 5he new books say

that with a WP, shooting !rom a vehice is ony a Wid Shot.


28/45

'nswer(That depends on the nature of the Psionic attac. or eample with bio

manipulation Blind, no effect may be felt, or 'ision dimmed for a moment before comin

bac.

:6. I !ind in my games that characters seem to ony have two conditions they areeither conscious or dead. Is there a good way to present an unconscious state in the

Paadium system&

'nswer(/hen the players hit " H.P. they will fall unconscious. They will die when it drops to

a neati'e amount e@ual to there P.=.. *lso they can fall unconscious by failin a Sa'in

Throw 's Pain. The rules on Sa'in Throw 's Pain can be found in 8in9as : Superspies

(pae $3+% or Rifts Canada (pae +?%.

:8. 5he C-hiAEung A 29 SkinC in #i!ts 0apan pg 443 shows


29/45

5hese Items where mentioned in the


30/45

right&

'nswer(Bonuses count towards this. so with a E1 to strie rollin a +, 3 or ! will be counted

as a 1, ?, or 2. Df course your G) miht ha'e a house rule statin that a natural $#! will

miss.

1??. -an an 'rcanist use


31/45

bac.

1?8. I have a question regarding the #i!ts game. When you ro to dodge does a ro o!

+ be!ore dodge bonuses are added in 3 mean you !aied& I know when you attack a

ro o! + !ais was wondering i! that was !or dodging too.'nswer(There is no automatic failure for dode rolls.

1?:. I! a opponent succeeds his ambush ski ro. 9o he automaticay get initiative

that round&

'nswer(&f the ambush wasn0t detected by a 5etect *mbush or similar power, and the

others do not now he has set up a ambush, yes he would et initiati'e, in fact he would

ha'e surprise on his side.

1?;. I! a piot has a PS that provides a damage bonus does the robot or power armor

gets that bonus&

'nswer(The Pilots P.S. doesn0t matter inside a robot or power armour, which ha'e their

own P.S. e@ui'alent, unless it is a eoseleton which pro'ides a P.S. bonus. *nd you are

correct the damae bonus remains S.5.C. e'en with Robotic or Supernatural strenth.

11?. -an you pick the same W.P. twice to doube the impact&

'nswer(6ou cannot.

111. What I wish to know is i! a character who is intangibe is sti a!!ected by

eectricity 1=) damage3 can they wak though the eectrica shied o! a Kapper, or at

east sowed down somewhat&

'nswer(They can, but it will be painful for the intanible character. (standard reaction would

be to flinch and pull bac%.

11). I! a mecha can !y !aster than a missie, can he simpy out run it& 5he S#A81 is

about the ony /et ICve ever heard o! that coud speed escape missies, but most

robotech mecha are !aster than the missies. So how itera shoud I take those missie

speeds&

'nswer(6es they could be out flown, but it would re@uire se'eral dodes to build up the

speed re@uired, also it would lea'e the character open to other attacs (any combat

maneu'ers will cause the craft to loose speed allowin the missile to catch up.

11%. What about the concept o! C!ire inkingC& 2any mecha, particuary 1st series

destroids, have a wide variety o! weapons. owever its my experience that payers

wi use ony the most power!u weapons. So I was wondering what you might think

about !iring mutipe weapons at the same target. 5hat is can Eadiator !ire the head

aser turret and a grenade !rom the auncher at the same time. ow about i! it cost him


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two attacks per meee. Mou see #ick hunter !ire his ELA11 and his head asers at the

same time. ow woud that work& #educed accuracy, costs severa attacks at once,

your thoughts.

'nswer(/eapons cannot be lined unless otherwise stated. 5ifferent weapons may be

used in different circumstances. i.e. autocannons and renade launchers for mob

suppression etc.

11+. -oncerning a character, robot, or power armor with a high PS 9oing 2egaA

9amage3, ow woud you determine damage !or a ripping !orce. "x. ' 9ragon i!ts up

a -S dead boy in ight armor and tries to rip him in two, how woud damage be

given&3

'nswer(& would consider it ain to a power punch, and do double supernatural strenth

punch damae.

114. I! you were to shoot a person who is not wearing any 2.9.-. armor with an 29

weapondoing over his tota S.9.-. and P combined3 in a nonA!ata area i.e. a hand3

woud the person die or /ust have said part bown o!!&

'nswer(That limb will be se'ered


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1)?. 5he quick draw initiative bonus !or the WP sharp shooting ski and gunsinger

type characters, does that ony appy to the 1st meee when the weapon is drawn&

'nswer(='ery melee of the combat (they are fast with their uns%.

1)1. When a monster description says it takes !u damage !rom either a spe, or

weapon, i.e. Kombies with energy based spes3 do you sti ro !or damage, or /ust

appy the max amount&

'nswer(6ou roll normal damae.

1)). In PF#PE, i! you pick the ski Dpaired weaponsD then when you reach eve 8 in

) that bonus is a waste, why woud you pick the ski i! you get it atter on&

'nswer(Because it can tae a while ettin to le'el 2 to recei'e that sill, when they could

learn a limited 'ersion at le'el $ i'in them the bonuses.

1)%. owhere in the book does it state you need a ro to parry it seems to be

automatic. I! two opponents, each with + attacks per round, engage in meee combat,

how can they hit each other&

'nswer(The term automatic means it does not use any action


34/45

1):. 9oes a character bonus to 9isarm give him a bonus to de!end against being

disarmed by someone ese&

'nswer(&t doesn0t.

1);. In Paadium Fantasy the rues !or shieds seem to make no sense, since a shied

ooses S9- whie parrying a strike, whie a DnormaD weapon doesnCt. So why shoud

anyone use a shied !or parrying& Perhaps I did not understand the rues. 5e me, i! I

am wrong and what use shieds have technica, besides roeApaying3.

'nswer(Shields are desined to bloc the strie, not deflect it lie a normal parry with any

other ind of weapon. This is the reason they a Shield has S.5.C.. 8ow a optional rule in

Palladium antasy is that a shield only taes $"J damae. This represents the durability of

the shield in combat. 8ow shields can be used for other purposes, barin a heraldic emblem

for one, co'erin the blind side (a ite shaped shield while on horsebac is a ood eample%.

ormation fihters also use a shield (the roman leions for instance%.

1%?. What is D5argeting SkiD and how can a mage use it to increase his chance to

strike with a spe.

'nswer(The taretin sill is a weapon proficiency ,and cannot be used to aid spell

accuracy unless otherwise stated.

1%1. With the abiity o! Superior


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1%4. -an you de!ine a voey& ' !riend o! mine thinks that a voey is any amount o!

weapons and=or missies !ired in one attack at one target.

'nswer(* ;olley is ! or more missiles fired in one attac at one taret. * Burst from a

automatic renade launcher or auto#cannon doesn0t count as a 'olley.

1%6. I am new to your gaming system and have payed with a !ew di!!erent 92s. In

batte, you have to ro a )? sided dice to strike when in a physica !ight. 9o you have

to ro the )? sided dice to cast magic or can psionics and wiKards announce their

spe they intend to cast and it goes o!! without any chance o! !aiure& Pease te me

how the rues are meant to be no Dhouse ruesD.

'nswer(6ou do not roll a dice when castin a spell or usin psionics unless a strie roll is

re@uired to hit the taret.

1%8. When using any sort o! shotgun sawedAo!!, automatic, etc3, what WP woudappy or is there a WP shotgun !oating out there somewhere that I missed&.

'nswer(Some of the ames do ha'e a /.P. Shotun it i'es the same bonuses as the

other modern /.P..

1%:. In the ightbane Word


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1+). I was /ust wondering, can any *-- besides the Eun!ighter=Eunsinger and

eadhunter 5echnoAwarrior take the Paired Firearms WP in the new West& 'nd i! so,

what are the ski costs&

'nswer(8o, unless otherwise stated in their description.

1+%. In page 11) in #i!ts( -anada on the topic o! eadhunter 5echnoAWarrior *--

there is mention o! DWP Paired FirearmsD in #i!ts( ew West, ick, with a sword attack in pace o! the kick

doing critica damage3. Is this correct&

'nswer(That is correct.

1+:. I have a question about the 6th trick shot in the ew West book. It says you can

dodge or ro and come up shooting. -an you cari!y this& I thought i! you dodge as

an action and it uses up your next action. 9oes this make it where he can shoot whie

dodging as a !ree action&

'nswer(5odin is not considered a free action with this, but it can be considered a

combination mo'e, allowin them to strie bac while dodin a enemy shot.


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1+;. 're there any modi!iers to strike !or !iring a weapon !rom a distance& It seems

ike a target shoud be !ar harder to hit when !iring !rom a mie away rather than point

bank.

'nswer(Generally there is no penalty to hit if the taret is within effecti'e rane and is'isible, but there are base tarets for rollin

ess than 1" feet, 1 or better

?"#+"" feet, > or better

+"" plus feet, $+ or better

14?. In eroes Lnimited under 'crobatics and Eymnastics skis, it says that the

character gets an D'utomatic >ick 'ttack !or )9+ damageD. What exacty does that

mean& I understand what a kick attack is. I aso understand how damage works. What

does the DautomaticD part mean& For automatic parries and dodges it means that itdoes not cost an attack. I! that is the case here, characters can /ust go around kicking

each other and then autoAkicking each other again, a in the same attack. -oud you

pease eaborate as to the intent o! this item&

'nswer(They automatically recei'e a ic attac at le'el one, not at later le'els.

141. In re!erence to the 2outh Weapons weapon pro!iciency 2ystic -hina pg 1%3. 5he

starting rate o! !ire per meee seems to have been omitted. We got strike bonuses and

eve advancement bonuses !or both strike and rate o! !ire, but how many shots per

meee at eve 1 pro!iciency& 'ny ideas on this one&'nswer(&nitial Rate of ire is +.

e$ha'RPA Criti$al Tables by Stan %undy

/0T)S, )ffe$ts of Severs on Po1er Armors and their Pilots

8. "f the total damage from the critical 5default for severs is triple, unless otherwise

stated6 would not normally destroy the limb, then treat a KSeverK result as followsG2. Section of limb crushed, locking up the joints, and it will have to

be cut off of the pilot's own

3. limb. This requires one of the following skills b the person doing

the removing !pilot is "#$% to

&. attempt on self(

#. )obot or *echa *echanics !"+$%,

. *edical -octor !"3$%,

. *.-. /bernetics !"2$%,

0. *.-. 1ionics !no penalt,

n other mechanical or medical skill that includes abilit to

use *.-. cutters !"#$%

1. "f the damage e'ceeds the limb0s .#.!., check for the followingG

. "s the Pilot wearing body armor underneath the power armor? %his is re$uiredfor !yclones, and usually true for *litter Boys, but is impossible for most


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types. "f secondary body armor present 5cyber-armor or ltarian body armor

don0t count unless it0s a shoulder hit6, then the e'cess damage goes against it.

"f its .#.!. is surpassed as well, go to B.A

B. "s the pilot a ega-damage creature? nlikely, but possible. ost .#.!.

races in )ifts usually go around without even body armor, and possess magic,psionics and&or the P.S. to pack a railgunA sometimes, all threeD %he most

likely candidates are agent types trained in /LS artial rts (orms and

+eroes nlimited characters that have .#.!. as a result of alien origin, a

mutant skin or Super abilities such as 7'traordinary P.7., "nvulnerability or

lter Physical Structure 5etal or Stone6. "f super characters have no

offensive powers, and&or are slowed by their powers, they may very well wear

power armor for an increase in P.S., speed and offensive capability. "f the pilot

is an .#.!. structure, then 8&9 of his ma'imum total body .#.!. would be

re$uired to possibly destroy a limb. See the table belowG

/. -amage taken )oll needed on -% to keep arm

-. """""""""""""""""""""""""4"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

5. +6 to +63 Total *.-./. 7ver *.-./. done b attack!s

8. +63 Total *.-./. 4 9nder !:.5."damage over +63

;.

E. "f all else fails, how serious is the wound? %reat each # point over the

armor0s as a cumulative 2M chance that the S.#.!. limb will be lost. "f the

limb survives, it takes =#9 S.#.!. per # point that got through.

osin! a limb,the character is automatically out of the offensive part of combat, losing 8&9

of his combined S.#.!.&+it points or .#.!. immediately, and must save vs. >ethal Poison

each round to keep from losing consciousness. "f the limb was severed where it can still have

a tourni$uet placed, the character can attempt it. "f on their own arm, the roll is at a -


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B+"B ?ing missiles hit, if applicable. )oll on *issile /ritical Table at a

"3$% penalt !results of Eero

or less are ignored. 7therwise, treat as 03"B$.

B0"$$ :lane starts to break up. :ilot must roll under +62 :.:. b the end

of the round or be killed.

/haracter can make as man attempts as he has left, or one if no

attacks are left.NOTE:)esults of +"B$ make atmospheric reentr impossible.

Shoulder'Arm'Hand Criti$als2d34

/0T),Shoulder&rm issile launchers. %here is a percentage chance e$ual to 8& of the

.#.!. done to the arm for a issile Pod !ritical5side effects only6. /o additional damage is

done, unless 19-22 is rolled on the latter table.

$+"3$ -ouble -amage. "+3 9pper rm> +&"+ Aower rm> +0"2$


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2 I )ight rm "0 I )ight Aeg

3 I Aeft rm B"$ I Aeft Aeg

/otes,7ach area above can withstand damage e$ual the armor0s listed S.#.!.&.#.!..

+owever, e'plosions do e$ual damage to all parts of the armor 5due to burst radius6, as do

vehicle-siFed plasma weapons. *uns, autocannons, hand-held energy weapons, and hand tohand combat do damage to one part only. Some criticals allow S.#.!. weapon attacks to

bypass .#.!. armor. %his is a matter of hitting a weak spot in the armor. :f course, these

weak spots aren0t the same in any two sets of armor, and result from use and abuse by the

wearer5s6, previous weapon hits, etc. lso, the concussion of normal .#.!. attacks can

cause damage through armor. !ritical rolls that bypass .#.!. armor are marked with a KNK

Head,

$+"#$ -ouble -amage. 3$% chance for stun +-& rounds.

#+"0# Triple -amage. $% chance of knockout +-2$ rounds.

J 0"B# 8aceplate cracked. 8urther hits vs. ) +& will penetrate.

J B"$$ 8aceplate destroed. +62 damage done to the person inside. /alledshots on the head will hit face

for straight


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critical !base damage &- *-.

8ling aircraft ma attempt emergenc landing as per normal rules.

/0T),Weapons become useless after taking full .#.!.. +owever, gun pods&railguns can

be used as clubs5punch damage H8#96, with WP Blunt bonuses only.

e!')n!ine'issile Criti$als Table.

%his table0s purpose is to determine what table5s6 to roll on when certain criticals are rolled,

as many mecha L robot vehicles have combination legs&engines, engines&missile launchers or

even all three combined. When a combination critical is rolled, divide the damage rolled by

the number of criticals, then roll the appropriate critical for each. 7'ampleG 1C is rolled for

a Beta 4eritech 5a combination >eg&7ngine&issile Pod critical, in the )P* version6. Base

damage rolled is 92 .#.!.. :ne critical is rolled on each table, using 2592&


42/45

Rifts:Space ;litter 1os

Category E:Co engines in legs, but *issiles are present. 5Gamples are " Robotech:)-8 5Gcaliber, )-8 D )58 ;ladiators> Macross II:Tomahawk, ; 8ighter.

e! Criti$als Table2d34

#oing 22M .#.!. to one leg results in an automatic 12-22, even if no critical was rolled.

:n this table, penalties are to ground operation unless noted otherwise. %his includes umps,

leaps L climbing.

$+"2# -ouble -amage.

2"&$ Triple -amage.

&+"$ -ouble -amage> mobilit impaired. "2 to dodge and "2$% to speed.

+"& Triple -amage> mobilit seriousl impaired. "& to dodge and "#$% to

speed. n engine functions

of the leg reduced b 3$%.

#"0B -ouble -amage, but leg immobiliEed. *ust be dragged along like it was

in a cast. *o dodge and "B$%

to walking6running speed. @ariable"form mecha cannot switch modes.

B$"$$ Triple damage D Aeg severed, even if damage not high enough to

destro the leg. The effects are(

Battloid-type mecharobots!pla"et-side#:Co dodge or roll, "+$ toparr or strike. Speed +-& *:

Mentraedi pods have a &$% chance of eGplosion!killing pilot.

$o%er Armors a"d RE& Cyclo"es:See :ower rmor notes for effects. Battloid-types!space#:"+$% to pilot rolls. 'eritechs( 'al)yries * Tria+ Drago"%i"g !flyi"g#( ,-...!%ater#:Transformation impossible,

plus the following, b mode " 1attloid6;uardian( *echa starts cartwheeling. :ilot roll needed

at "$%

to stabiliEe long enough to put down!emergenc landing

roll then needed.

1attloid6;uardian in Space( "&$% :ilot roll to counter

rotation.

@ehicle " 5ngine shuts down. )educe speed, dodge and roll b

#$%.

=n ?ater!ll modes( 1attloid D ;uardian mode vehicles ma

cartwheel if reling

solel on legs for thrust. The might also start to sink

from lack of bouanc.


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#+"# Triple -amage. Speed reduced b 2#%, and engine begins to overheat

!?ill shut down in +-&G+$ min..

"B$ Triple !major -amage. 5ngine will shut down in +-0 rounds.

B+"B Turbine disintegrates, throws +-& bladesO 5ngine destroed, roll

where blades go

!d%, reroll impossible(

$+"+#( 7ut of the mecha and into the air. ?hew. +"3$(


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B"$$ 5GplosionOO G3 S.-. G& S.-.

6"ncludes all weapons capable of 8#='82 .#. or more, even if hand-held.

/0T), rear ain Body hit on a #estroid with a Space Propulsion pack or a suit of body

armor with a et or space pack has a C2M chance of hitting the pack instead. %reat a criticalon the Pack as an 7ngine !ritical at -82M on the roll. /egatives are treated as 28-8;.

)ffe$ts,;2M means there is a ;2M chance of one side-effect.

S.D.,echa Shuts down in


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-estroids, )obots and :ower rmor have their power reduced as well,

reducing their ground speed.

-rops to below #$% power make flight and leaps impossible.

B"$$ :ilot is injured, takes 3d S.-./. D +-+$

palladium combat system

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