Bodyguards/protective skills

[Naaman]

Has anyone encountered a situation where one character tried to take the hit for another character?

Imaging one guy diving into the line of fire to take a blaster shot for a friend, for example.

My first instinct is to just use the dodge skill, since its the same "reflex" and same type of action but instad of getting out of the way, the character is getting in the way (same for melee parry or brawling parry).

But part of me feels like its not quite right to ddo it that way.

After writing that much, I've considered an advanced skill that allows a character to "be" a bodyguard/protector, though I'm not sure how to handle it.

As a possibility, maybe just a base skill, probably under Perception, that allows a character to check for his awareness and readiness, and if successful, he can either prevent his charge (and himself) from being hit, or if all else fails, can take the hit instead.

The idea would be similar to the RAW combat sense force power in that it represents training specific to mentally tracking the flow of battle and making decisions to minimize exposure of the charge/client. Though, it will be a skill, not a force power, so it is limited to what the 5 senses can processes

One of the features of the skill that seems approriate would be as a substitute for initiative rolls when the character has a client/charge.

Besides that, it seems that making the roll successfully would allow the character to use his own reaction skill (within reason) in place of the target's. Success on the reaction skill means the client is not hit, but the bodyguard is. Success by a margin of 10 or more (5 or more?) means that both the original target and the bodyguard avoid harm.

If I go with something like this, then my biggest problem is deciding what the difficulty will be to protect the client... in other words, when we roll the "bodyguard" skill, how do we know if it was successful or not?

My first thoughts are to base the difficulty on the number of attackers. I could even see making the bodyguard skill a specialization of the tactics skill (which moves it to knowledge), and having the "leader" of the attacking group oppose with his own tactics skill.

This incidentally works into some of the tactical training I mentioned in the Tactical Combat thread, and may be further developed over there.

Anyway, thoughts?

[Whill]

Not sure. I know this isn't helpful, but when I was reading this I just couldn't stop thinking about this clip, incidentally starring Mark Hammil as the bodyguard instructor:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8sh1z1nTG0

Well, your dive wasn't bad but I just didn't believe your "Nooooooo!"
_________________
*
Site Map
Forum Guidelines
Registration/Log-In Help
The Rancor Pit Library
Star Wars D6 Damage

[Naaman]

Haha!

[Dredwulf60]

I see what you are trying to do.

My take on it would be to use the existing skills in the proper combination.

Yes, allow the dodge skill to be used on behalf of the client.

The bodyguard would improve initiative to a high level, have investigation at a high level to research safe routes, analyze the clients' daily routine for danger spots. Have a good security skill, etc.

I wouldn't develop a single skill to encompass all of the personal protection skills.

Of course if I were *really* doing it in MY game, I'd do the above and in addition add a talent/technique specifically for using dodge to put yourself in the line of fire. (I have one already for doing same in a space dogfight.)

[Naaman]

The single skill isn't meant to do everything. Rather, its meant to check to see whether/how well the character is able to react to the dangers to his client.

After that roll is made, then the other skills can be used (perhaps with a bonus based on the single skill roll) to protect the client.

Make sense?

[Dredwulf60]

[MrNexx]

I think, if you're trying to emulate "Throw yourself in front of an attack", the existing defensive rules work well... a bodyguard might have melee parry and brawling parry high, as well, to interpose themselves where necessary.

However, I wouldn't allow a Full Defense to work for bodyguarding, simply because you can't choose to do nothing else... you've got a person to wrangle.
_________________
"I've Seen Your Daily Routine. You Are Not Busy!"
“We're going to win this war, not by fighting what we hate, but saving what we love.”
http://rpgcrank.blogspot.com/

[Rusharn]

When it has come up in my game, as long as the body guard notices the threat they can move to provide cover to the client. If the attacker wants to shoot around the body guard to hit the target I count the target as 3/4 covered unless the client is small enough (like a small child, Jawa, etc.) in which case the target would be fully covered.

If the attacker wants to shoot through the body guard, the body guard can dodge with his client, with an additional -1D penalty on top of any other penalties to the body guard's dodge as long as the client is willing to go with them.

If the body guard is hit, they roll their resistance and the damage that goes through to the client is based on how wounded the body guard is:

Stunned: Client takes no damage
Wounded: Client takes -4D damage
Incapacitated: Client takes -2D damage
Mortally Wounded or Killed: Client takes -1D damage

Optimally the body guard of course would want to get the client under cover and as long as the client isn't resisting the bodyguard and the cover is near by (within the speed of the bodyguard) I've allowed the bodyguard to drag the client to cover.

[MrNexx]

[Naaman]

What I am trying to portray is the trainimg and preventive measures that a bodyguard would take befor a fight breaks out.

The skills alone might appear to be raised very high to the layman... but in reality, the bodyguard is continuously reevaluating the situatiin, making tactical adjustments on a minute by minute basis in real time. When an attack does come, the bodyguard's bodyguard skill is rolled to determine how well he was paying attention to the surroundings and how ready he is to take action.

This is why I think it should be a perception skill, but tactics also seems appropriate.

[Rusharn]

The damage listed is not damage taken by the client but dice taken away from the weapon's damage code when you roll against the clients resistance.

i.e. Bodyguard Rann provided cover for Political Official Bob. Assassin Al decides to fire through Rann to try and kill Bob with his Blaster Rifle. He fires and hits the pair. Rann was protecting Bob so he takes the full 5D damage, they roll and Rann is wounded. Now Bob takes 5D, -4D because Rann was only wounded, so now Al rolls 1D damage against Bob.

Had Rann been Mortally wounded, when Al rolls damage against Bob he would be taking 5D, -1D, for a 4D damage roll.


As for the skills, I would just have Bodyguards use investigations, search, and tactics for their job.

Investigations to determine the likely hood of an attack, the likely skill of attackers, what type of resources they would have, and where an attack would be likely to occur.

Tactic to arrange for escape routes, safe rooms, armored podiums, security personnel to be positioned correctly, as well as were to position themselves so they have maximum vision, close enough to the client to get to them but not so close as to crowd them

Search to spot threats.

Once a threat is detected, use dodge and speed to get to the target, Search to locate all threats and tactics for the best way to escape with their client.

[Raven Redstar]

For me, I would probably do it like this.

Bodyguard uses search vs. sneak to detect any hidden attacks made against his charge.

If the bodyguard is aware of the oncoming attack, they can roll the appropriate defense skill in an attempt to protect the target. Roll as normal. If the bodyguard matches the oncoming attack or beats the difficulty by 1-15, the bodyguard is hit. If the bodyguard beats the attack roll by 16+, then he and his target avoid, for ranged attacks. For melee, he just needs to beat the roll by any amount to stop his charge from being hit. If he misses by 5 or less, then he takes the physical blow.

Easy enough, I see no reason to add in extra skills.
_________________
RR
________________________________________________________________

[Dredwulf60]

I think where Naaman is going with this is how to designate someone who is a professional bodyguard.

Does anyone with a high dodge skill suddenly make an excellent bodyguard by default?

Should someone who is highly trained to take a hit for someone else also automatically be awesome at dodging attacks against himself even when he has no one to take care of?

I think a generally well-rounded professionally combat-oriented PC could be a pretty formidable bodyguard just due to their skill and experience.

But there is also a niche for a more mundane guy whose skill and experience is built around personal protection.

Presumably the Queen of Naboo's handmaidens would have it for example. They wouldn't be all-around combat professionals....but they might have a highly developed skill in taking one for the queen.

Even if it's as simple as making a 'dodge specialty: Protect Other' that they could beef up for cheaper.

But I kind of like the tactics road personally.

[Naaman]

Yes.

Simplest way is to just make it a tactics role, and reduce the difficulty if the character has the appropriate specialization.

The difficulty of the roll would need to take the complexity of the situation ino account.

How many bodyguards are there? How many avenues of approach? How many alternate routes? What physical security measures are in place/available?

There, of course, a whole slew of factors to consider, and the scope of the job goes beyond what a player or gm would typically understand. This is why I favor having a skill that represents what the character knows and his success at using tjat skill enables him to use the actual protective skills more effectively in the specific context of close protection.

This way, two characters with similar skill in dodge are not automatically equally equally odyguards.

The character can know things that the player and gm don't, and play is streamlined (at least, the action portion is). Incidentally, such a skill would also provide gms with a good way to challenge the party--if they can't "out tactics" the BBEG's bodyguards, then they need to out class and/or out gun them. But even a relatively "low level" bodyguard should provide a speed bump for advanced PCs.

Understand that the type of bodyguard I'm talking about is distinct from a "goon" or "henchman" type of security detail. A bouncer at a club is not the same as a close protection specialist.

[Raven Redstar]