Snipers

[adamlumina93]

What is all the GM's preference on snipers? I dont mind using them but sometimes I feel bad if I eliminate a good players character without giving them any chance to react.

[Chabit Rane]

Personnal, I use snipers for the story. I perfer not using them that much on PCs (well, not without them having a warning that a sniper my be out there).

[Boomer]

Snipers are not always perfect, and who is to say their first targets are the PCs? As long as it should be clear what situation they are in, sure, use a sniper.
_________________
My backpack has jets!
I'm Boba the Fett!
And I bounty hunt for Jabba Hutt,
to finance my 'vette!

[garhkal]

I am one of those who will use snipers, if it makes sense for them to be there. Case and point, 2 threads on them (see below)..

One of those threads, involved the pcs messing with a hutt over a long time, eventually stepping it up to directly threatning the hutt. He hired 2 snipers to kill the ring leaders of the pc group.

2nd time i have had them used, was in a home game where the pcs were leading a rebel base, in a war against an imperial base. They had used sniping several times before, so i had the imperial base commander request a pair for him to use....
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Tejma_Muhog]

[garhkal]

But if they are not competent, then why use them? To me it is like the parent who always threatens the kid with punishment, then never follows through. What was the point in making the threat then...
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Tejma_Muhog]

I said they don't *kill* on the first shot. They may very well wound, maim, permanently scar, or otherwise cause the mission to fail. Death is not the only doom available to PCs.

_________________
Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.

[Boomer]

As long as they get the message that they can die, it works pretty well. More like the parent who takes something away and than says that if you don't straighten up your not getting it back. They know for damn sure you can do something.
_________________
My backpack has jets!
I'm Boba the Fett!
And I bounty hunt for Jabba Hutt,
to finance my 'vette!

[garhkal]

[Jedi Skyler]

Because even if the sniper didn't "succeed" by killing the PCs, the GM will hopefully have succeeded in waking the players up to the fact that they've been screwing up. That if they don't get their act together, there's more snipers where that one came from, and now they'll have even greater reason to take the PCs out- for killing one of their own.

There are many possible outcomes for such an encounter as this, and as long as the players prove teachable and change the way their characters do business, then everyone wins.

If not, the GM kicks it up by a factor of five, and wipes the PCs from the galaxy and invites the players to stat up new characters to run.

[beaumont sebos]

I use snipers because, well, snipers make sense in many situations. If I were a bounty hunter, a long distance surprise shot would be my best move.

But to make it fair for characters... I use a surprise rule:

If you are going to use a surprise (and a sniper trying to shoot at you is trying to surprise), you must call your action and follow through with that action no matter what!

Here's an example. I have an NPC that's going to snipe at a PC. I say, "SURPRISE! A sniper is going to shoot at you!" We roll surprise, now 3 things can happen...

1) NPC wins surprise, so the shot is fired and on to initiative.
2) NPC loses surprise. We roll initiative and NPC wins. Shot is fired, but since PC is not surprised, they can use a reaction roll. In addition, they have actions when it's their turn.
3) NPC loses surprise. We roll initiative and PC wins. PC can use any action they want (since PC doesn't know location of NPC, they will usually search for the attacker and point the NPC out to other companions). NPC can't do ANYTHING except their called surprise action (i.e. no reaction rolls! However, I will usually have the NPC surprise action include ducking behind an object after the shot was fired.)

Has worked out well for years... except I have one PC that is now raising his Surprise skill pretty high. I might have to put a cap on it or something.

Another thing I do is what I call a Blind Initiative. I'll say "Initiative!" and everyone rolls initiative. If PCs win, they have no idea what's going to happen, so they'll usually either search around or wait to do a reaction roll. If NPC wins, I'll shoot. This method allows for PC reaction rolls no matter what. But by the same token, my NPC can dodge if the PCs shoot back.
_________________
Beaumont Sebos

"Saving the multiverse, one Gamorrean Ale at a time."

[Gry Sarth]

Uh, and where would that Surprise skill fit in a character's stats? Wouldn't that be the same as rolling Perception or Search in order to check if the PCs notice the ruffling of leaves nearby, as the sniper readies his shot, or perhaps catch a glimpse of light reflecting off the sniper's scope or somthing like that? If you're giving your PCs a chance to not be surprised by the attack, there has to be a plausible giveaway for the sniper's presence and intention. If the sniper is miles away, in the dark, and the PCs are carelessly drinking beer and laughing. There's just no way they ever notice the attacker until he fired the first shot.
_________________
"He's Gry Sarth, of course he has the stats for them."

[garhkal]

Most of the time, i give the snipers a sneak/hide roll, versus a search/perception roll from the PCs as a group, then a second perception check for the one being shot at. If they fail, they are caught dead footed, and the sniper gets his shot off...

So far, i have used snipers around 8 times. 3 singles, 1 pairing and 1 trio (training op for the merc company the pcs were raiding came accross them).

Most of my snipers follow the same skill set..

EG this is the best sniper i have had (as npc).
Dex 4d. Blaster 4d+2 (S) Pistol 6d, dodge 8d, firearms 4d+2, (S) sniper rifle 12d+1, missile weapons 5d+2, melee and melee parry 6d
Know 2d+2. Alien species 5d, bureaucracy 5d, cultures 4d+2, languages 4d+2, law 5d+1, survival 6d, willpower 6d
Per 3d+2. bargain 4d+1, command 4d+1, hide 5d, investigation 5d+2, search 6d+2, sneak 8d+2,
Mech 3d. Repulsor ops 5d, sensors 6d, comms 5d
Tech 3d. Firearm repair 6d, first aid 5d+2.

Most of his skills would be to augument/assist sniping (like comms and sensors), aid in his hunt (like search, investigation), or for self preservation (blaster pistol spec for close in combat, and melees for when someone is on him).

Most of the snipers i have used had a specific objective (other than the above listed trio), which was kill X person (or 3 people).. Once that is done, they slink off..
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[beaumont sebos]

[beaumont sebos]

And I forgot to mention... Even if the situation is that the sniper is miles away in the dark and the PCs are laughing and drinking beer... I consider the surprise skill to almost be an instinct, a sixth senth, if you will.

If there is no physical, plausible way for them to have noticed the surprise, I chalk it up to the hairs rising on their arms.

I think it plays very well into the whole "high adventure" feel of the SW universe.
_________________
Beaumont Sebos

"Saving the multiverse, one Gamorrean Ale at a time."