Increase to melee weapon damage because of speed?

[tetsuoh]

Okay so...... how would you guys work this?

I can see that a speeder with a bladed front catch would do damage probably good damage and would be a factor of ramming.

But what about a swoop biker wielding a vibroaxe and attacking someone/something on foot?

Would you all allow ramming or collision damage to be a factor in this?

I can see the speed adding to the damage if the weapon is steady enough but on most actions this can hurt the wielder.

Anyone who has been a renegade and smashed mailboxes from the bed of a pickup can attest to this as well as anyone who has watched it happen. (I am thankfully the latter and was not in the pickup thank you very much.)

But the rules for ramming already increase the difficulty for a successful manuever in order to not damage the vehicle. Should this be a factor in how to resolve this?

Just need some input on your thoughts for this guys.

EDIT: Hmmm also just noticed that if the ramming roll fails it ends up as a movement failure which can result in vehicle dmg and character dmg.. wonder if that can be of use.....

[Naaman]

I dont know much about the dynamics of this, but if you consider jousting, that is a spprt which has applications for combat (but using a lance/spear instead of one of those cone shaped deals). Also, with training for tuis kind of thing, the damage to vehicle/wielder could be reduced. For example, having a basic minimum difficulty, regardless of opposed rolls (kind of lile the lightsabe has) could set a standard for the minimum skill needed to avoid injury.

As for a damage increase, I rather feel like a bonus of 1D - 2D would be appropriate for an appropriately sized weapon. A vibro dagger would probably not benefit from the ramming effect, while a giant club/stick would.

Finally, weapons that are specifically designed for charging attacks (such as the lance, like what we saw in TCW 2003 used by Dirge) or spme other similar deal, like the laser lance in WH40k might provide a 3D or 4D bonus to damage, for a one-hit-use type of weapon.

Just some thoughts.

[garhkal]

I am with namman. Using a properly made weapon for 'charging at high speed' should gain a higher damage bonus from the speed. Otherwise just limit it to +2d over.. BUT the user also takes BASE weapon damage +2d (not inc str) against himself from the shock of the impact.
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[Naaman]

Like Garhkal says, but I think someone trained for the technique should be able to avoid damage to self.

For example, just raise the base difficulty such that even if the attack hits, if the total roll is less than, say, 20, then the cuaracter suffers the damage that garhkal is suggesting or something similar. If a weapon is made for ths sort of thing, then omit the risk to the attacker.

[tetsuoh]

ramming is +10 to the movement roll and the attacker still suffers movement based collision damage but at -3D.

Which means cautious suffers no damage and cruise suffers only 1D, while High Speed is 3D.

Ramming at all out isn't even possible as it is a full round action and the ramming maneuver counts as an action.

You would think velocity would be a fact but this simplifies things I supose.

How any of that can be converted over to striking at a target from behing the wheel is still the real question though.

Are there any items like a prow ram that we know of that adds dmg to ramming that we are aware of?

[Naaman]

D&D simply allows double damage with "charging" weapons--such as a lance--if the attacker is mounted and the mount charges.

The way I see this in Star Wars is that the horse is replaced with a speeder bike. But since in D6 there is no such thing as "double damage" and we use a scale instead, increasing damage based on the fact that a vehicle is travelling at high speed (thereby adding to the velocity of the strike) seems like the easy answer to me.

Again... I feel that sturdy, puncturing weapons should be especially effective at this, though any reasonable weapn should benefit to some degree (consider a knight with a longsword charging on horseback into a mass of infantry).

[tetsuoh]

[garhkal]

[tetsuoh]

HA I didn't think about that.

Would someone need to take an action to handle a mount each round when moving like that?

Or would that solely be a movement roll of the mount itself with just a free action on the part of the character????

We don't get very good details on how that would work. Least not that I see, but I've been proven to be blind numerous times.

[garhkal]

Since in the movement section (for vehicles/ships) going all out increases the difficulty of the terrain 2 steps, then it WOULD be at least the one action to transverse it/move the animal.
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[tetsuoh]

But since creatures use the character section and characters use running that means that the roll for the terrain difficulty is actually the mount's roll.

According the rules for Beast Riding you only makes rules when you first mount the animal, or when it has a chance to be spooked - such as entering combat, it noticing a predator, or it being surprised by noises, objects, or lights.

So you would roll in the initial surge into combat for cavalry, but then any movement roll is a free action, or at most a single action to guide the animal.

So long as the animal doesn't resist your direction there is no roll versus it to make it continue its movement into all-out, that includes it running through enemies - if it was already involved in the combat to begin with.

Not unless when they hit the enemy - the gm makes the animal roll it's willpower not to be spooked by the in its face combat - or before that with the flashing of the blaster fire starting, or once it gets hit by something, or hurt, or sees another mount die, etc etc.

But in truth that would be done at the GM's discretion.

[garhkal]

BUt you always are opposed by the mount based on the Ornryness rating.
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[tetsuoh]

Yes but what I'm saying is that you only have to roll agaisnt the Orneriness score when the gm calls for it.

Meaning you could command it for a full charge and it listen - only to get spooked or disobedient because of something that occurred AFTER you stated your action since it is a returned contested action.

It will force the mount to drop from all-out to high speed because its taking an action to resist - so if it is going to and was moving all out by the rules it must complete at least half that move before changing speeds as well, and still could not call for the contested roll until the next round anyway.

And there is no rule stating you need to command the animal to make it increase its speed.

Basically the fate of the rider is in the hands of the GM because he controls when the Animal will start a contested roll - but the player can get a respite in the fact that if the animal is going all out it cannot fight them that round. Unless your GM declares its disobedience roll as a reaction skill - which I could see but that would be a house rule.