Volleyable BioWeapons
Moderators: Immortals, Supreme Beings, Old Ones
Volleyable BioWeapons
So, being able to fire multiple weapons with a single attack seems like a good way to maximize the amount of damage you do in combat, so I thought I'd take a look at the bioweapons that can be used in volleys. Unless I've missed some, I count five: organic rockets, omega blaster, super light cells, flying blades, and acid nodules.
Omega Blaster:
I'm going to ignore the omega blaster since it takes 3 actions to fire 2 weapons, so being able to fire a volley in this case gains us nothing. I'll examine the omega blaster in another post perhaps when I'm ready to consider primary weapons.
Organic Rockets:
You can have 15 organic rockets max for 75pts. They regenerate so slowly that they're basically a one use weapon in any particular battle. A volley of all 15 will average 412.5 MD. Useful for destroying a single target quickly or softening a Rook's forcefield, but not a weapon that can carry you through battle. Probably best used to soften enemy lines or attack valuable targets while you're closing the distance to get within range of your main weaponry
Super Light Cells:
For 66pts you can have a 6-super-light-cell-volley. An average of 33MD per attack with no ammunition worries seems like a decent fall-back weapon for when you don't have ammo to spare for your main gun. For comparison, however, a Heat Projector Cannon costs 40pts (5 for heat resist and 35 for cannon), does an average of 55MD per attack, has greater range, and requires no ammunition.
Edit: I just noticed that the progression isn't light cell -> super light cell, but instead glow cell -> super light cell. Instead of 66pts, the total cost is now 78pts. This is a bad thing from a points perspective, but since the player can decide what spectrum glow cells emit in, that implies that the super light cells can emit in the non-visible spectrum if desired. This makes things far more interesting
Flying Blades:
4pts per blade gives you a 1d4MD short range attack that has no upper limit on the volley size that I can find. So for 76pts (chosen since it's roughly the cost of maxed out organic rockets), you do an average of 47.5MD per attack with no ammo worries. This is better than the Super Light Cell volley, but with drastically reduced range. If you want to match the Heat Projector for damage, you need 88pts, but still have super short range in comparison, so this still seems like a poor choice unless you have hundreds of points to spare and want a devastating short range attack.
Acid Nodules:
20pts for acid blood and 5pts/nodule give you a short range attack that effectively does 2D8MD*1D8melees for an average of 45MD done over 67.5 seconds. So that 75pts you might have spent on organic rockets would get you 11 acid nodules that will do an average of 495MD per volley. This is a huge amount of damage! The problem is that it takes time to do that damage, so the 2.5 melees it takes to dissolve a Steel Trooper means that Steel Trooper gets in 15 attacks before he's destroyed. Not a good weapon for a big battle, perhaps, but great on a stealthy host armor that can get to important targets and melt them before the battle starts. A stealthy host armor could get to a sentry tower before its force field is activated and 6 volleys of acid, plus time, plus a little extra damage from some other weapon will destroy the tower with very little effort. Or just one acid volley on the super plasma cannon will, on average, destroy it. So this is an excellent high damage weapon for when you can get close to your target and need it destroyed, but don't need it destroyed quickly. Being limited to 6 volleys an hour doesn't seem like such a bad thing now that I realize that this would not be a main battle weapon.
Having done this quick and dirty analysis, it seems the only volleyable weapon worth considering is the Acid Nodules and even then, it's not a good backup weapon so much as a special purpose weapon.
The 40pts spent on a Heat Projector Cannon seems like a better deal than all of these. Heck, for 90 points, you can have a heat cannon that averages 110MD per attack with no ammo or range compromises.
Did I miss anything significant in this analysis?
--flatline
Omega Blaster:
I'm going to ignore the omega blaster since it takes 3 actions to fire 2 weapons, so being able to fire a volley in this case gains us nothing. I'll examine the omega blaster in another post perhaps when I'm ready to consider primary weapons.
Organic Rockets:
You can have 15 organic rockets max for 75pts. They regenerate so slowly that they're basically a one use weapon in any particular battle. A volley of all 15 will average 412.5 MD. Useful for destroying a single target quickly or softening a Rook's forcefield, but not a weapon that can carry you through battle. Probably best used to soften enemy lines or attack valuable targets while you're closing the distance to get within range of your main weaponry
Super Light Cells:
For 66pts you can have a 6-super-light-cell-volley. An average of 33MD per attack with no ammunition worries seems like a decent fall-back weapon for when you don't have ammo to spare for your main gun. For comparison, however, a Heat Projector Cannon costs 40pts (5 for heat resist and 35 for cannon), does an average of 55MD per attack, has greater range, and requires no ammunition.
Edit: I just noticed that the progression isn't light cell -> super light cell, but instead glow cell -> super light cell. Instead of 66pts, the total cost is now 78pts. This is a bad thing from a points perspective, but since the player can decide what spectrum glow cells emit in, that implies that the super light cells can emit in the non-visible spectrum if desired. This makes things far more interesting
Flying Blades:
4pts per blade gives you a 1d4MD short range attack that has no upper limit on the volley size that I can find. So for 76pts (chosen since it's roughly the cost of maxed out organic rockets), you do an average of 47.5MD per attack with no ammo worries. This is better than the Super Light Cell volley, but with drastically reduced range. If you want to match the Heat Projector for damage, you need 88pts, but still have super short range in comparison, so this still seems like a poor choice unless you have hundreds of points to spare and want a devastating short range attack.
Acid Nodules:
20pts for acid blood and 5pts/nodule give you a short range attack that effectively does 2D8MD*1D8melees for an average of 45MD done over 67.5 seconds. So that 75pts you might have spent on organic rockets would get you 11 acid nodules that will do an average of 495MD per volley. This is a huge amount of damage! The problem is that it takes time to do that damage, so the 2.5 melees it takes to dissolve a Steel Trooper means that Steel Trooper gets in 15 attacks before he's destroyed. Not a good weapon for a big battle, perhaps, but great on a stealthy host armor that can get to important targets and melt them before the battle starts. A stealthy host armor could get to a sentry tower before its force field is activated and 6 volleys of acid, plus time, plus a little extra damage from some other weapon will destroy the tower with very little effort. Or just one acid volley on the super plasma cannon will, on average, destroy it. So this is an excellent high damage weapon for when you can get close to your target and need it destroyed, but don't need it destroyed quickly. Being limited to 6 volleys an hour doesn't seem like such a bad thing now that I realize that this would not be a main battle weapon.
Having done this quick and dirty analysis, it seems the only volleyable weapon worth considering is the Acid Nodules and even then, it's not a good backup weapon so much as a special purpose weapon.
The 40pts spent on a Heat Projector Cannon seems like a better deal than all of these. Heck, for 90 points, you can have a heat cannon that averages 110MD per attack with no ammo or range compromises.
Did I miss anything significant in this analysis?
--flatline
Last edited by flatline on Wed Aug 01, 2012 10:01 pm, edited 3 times in total.
- Guy_LeDouche
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Re: Volleyable bioweapons
flatline wrote:Did I miss anything significant in this analysis?
Flatline, this is amazing work! Not only for the amount of info, but you actually justified "Flying Blades" to me (an upgrade I always considered pretty useless.)
This is a fantastic analysis! I'm a huge fan of acid weapons, and this break down shows exactly why. I've never given much thought to investing in many light cell weapons, but your break down makes a good arguement for using them as a back up or long range weapon.
Again, an excellent write-up! I can't wait to see what comes next from you!
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Re: Volleyable bioweapons
Guy_LeDouche wrote:flatline wrote:Did I miss anything significant in this analysis?
Flatline, this is amazing work! Not only for the amount of info, but you actually justified "Flying Blades" to me (an upgrade I always considered pretty useless.)
I like flying blades for several reasons.
1. It's a short range attack. If I miss, I don't have to worry about hitting something in the distance that I don't want to hurt. Missing with longer range weapon might announce my position to an enemy that doesn't yet know I'm coming.
2. It damages everything. Lots of weapons aren't useful against other host armor or people, which is a problem when you're fighting other human forces (house-vs-house conflict or challenging your warlord for control of the house). Other weapons can't hurt force fields.
3. You can completely control the damage. Don't want to do full damage? Use a smaller volley size.
4. You can strike multiple targets with a single attack (this becomes useful when you have lots of flying blades).
5. No upper limit on the amount of damage it can do. For every 4pts you dump into it, the average damage goes up by 2.5 points.
Some useful milestones:
* 40pts gives you 25MD average which is better than most melee attacks (a 6D6 attack only averages 21MD).
* 80pts gives you 50MD average which is better than most weapons in the game.
* 160pts gives you 100MD average which puts you in the realm of disarming most opponents in a single attack
* 216pts gives 135MD average which lets you destroy a Steel Trooper in 2 attacks 50% of the time.
* 432pts gives 270MD average which lets you destroy a Steel Trooper in 1 attack 50% of the time.
Now, just because the description doesn't give an upper limit on how many flying blades you can have, your GM might feel different. If a player wanted to spend all his points to be devastating at 30 feet and useless beyond it, I'm cool with that (I don't see specialization as abusive, which seems to run contrary to others on these forums).
This is a fantastic analysis! I'm a huge fan of acid weapons, and this break down shows exactly why. I've never given much thought to investing in many light cell weapons, but your break down makes a good arguement for using them as a back up or long range weapon.
Ha! I thought I was making a good argument for ignoring super light cells in favor of the Heat Projector Cannon which costs less, has better range, and does more damage!
Again, an excellent write-up! I can't wait to see what comes next from you!
Thank you! I guess I'll start looking at primary weapons. Lots of choices with few clear winners.
--flatline
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Re: Volleyable bioweapons
flatline wrote:Ha! I thought I was making a good argument for ignoring super light cells in favor of the Heat Projector Cannon which costs less, has better range, and does more damage!
The Heat Projector is an all around excellent weapon. Good range, impressive damage, no need for ammo.
Personally, I'm also a huge fan of Spore Launchers and Bio-E Vents; especially the latter. Great damage bonus, good range, no external ammo needed (although a bit of fire discipline may be recommended.) Unless you don't roll anything higher than 12, there's very little reason for a Roughneck to ever have less than 20PE and the average Roughneck is probably going to have close to 25 PE (and I've seen a Scarecrow with a 41 P.E.!) That kind of flat damage bonus is hard to beat.
You've touched on something that's interested me since Splicers was published and what I think is the inherent weakness in Host Armor: combat stamina. In other words, their ability to continue to function and fight in prolonged (several hours of more) battles.
I don't think many Host Armors would fare very well in a prolonged seige/firefight (a la "Black Hawk Down" or "We Were Soldiers", 12-18+ hours of almost straight combat.) Most ranged bio weapons have a horribly small payload (Medium Bore Cannon: 18 rounds?! Yikes!) and require hours to regenrate. Some weapons even require full meals before they can reload. A prolonged firefight is not going to offer too many chances to get your grub on.
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Re: Volleyable bioweapons
I definitely agree about the importance of combat stamina. Every Host Armor should have at least one weapon that is not constrained by ammunition so that it can continue to fight in a drawn out engagement. That will be part of my evaluation when I get around to writing up my thoughts of all the ranged bioweapons available.
--flatline
--flatline
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Re: Volleyable bioweapons
only thing i can think of that i might consider to be something you "missed" is actually house rules.
assuming i recorded this correctly, these house rules were posted here by kank - i just don't feel like tracking down the specific post). the rocket pods help a tiny bit in terms of efficiency (if you're getting at least 15 rockets, and aren't using the shoulders for something else, you may as well get the rocket pods... and since they add another 28 possible, you can save another 56 bio-E plus they can save you on upgrades).
that said... yes, the heat gun is extremely good value for the cost.
Enhanced Organic Rockets:
Plasma:
M.D.C. of the Rockets: 12
Mega-Damage: 1D6X10 with a blast radius of 15 feet.
Maximum Effective Range: 1 mile
Bonus: +5 to strike
Bio-E Cost: +4 points per rocket.
Prerequisite: Organic Rocket
Needle Death Blossom: +2
M.D.C. of the Rockets: 10
Mega-Damage: 4D8 with a blast radius of 30 feet.
Maximum Effective Range: 1 mile.
Bonus: +5 to strike
Bio-E Cost: +3 points per rocket.
Prerequisite: Organic Rocket
Acid:
M.D.C. of the Rockets: 11
Mega-Damage: 4D6 with additional damage of 2D6 for 4 rounds. Half damage to organic matter. Blast radius of 1 foot.
Maximum Effective Range: 1 mile.
Bonus: +5 to strike
Bio-E Cost: +2 points per rocket.
Prerequisite: Organic Rocket
Impact:
M.D.C. of the Rockets: 10
Mega-Damage: 4D6 plus a 45% chance of knock down. Blast radius of 6 inches.
Maximum Effective Range: 1 mile.
Bonus: +5 to strike
Bio-E Cost: +1 points per rocket.
Prerequisite: Organic Rocket
Chemical Rocket:
M.D.C.: of the Rockets: 10
Mega-Damage: Varies as chemical sprayer with a blast radius of 20 feet.
S.D.C. Damage: Varies, As chemical sprayer.
Maximum Effective Range: 1 mile.
Bonus: +5 to strike
Bio-E Cost: +1 points per rocket.
Prerequisite: Organic Rocket, Chemical Sprayer
Lighting/EPM:
M.D.C.: of the Rockets: 13
Mega-Damage: 4D12, no blast radius.
Maximum Effective Range: 1 mile.
Note: Any biological /living creatures survive the attack must roll to save vs stun attack (15 or higher, plus any bonus from P.E.). Host Armor take normal damage plus the pilot takes 2D6 S.D.C./Hit Points. Machines take normal damage plus have a percentage chance equal to the damage done of inflicting impairments and damage as an Electro-Pulse Gun. See page 134-135 of the Splicers base book.
Bonus: +5 to strike
Bio-E Cost: +5 points per rocket.
Prerequisite: Organic Rocket, Electrical Resistance.
Tendril Injector Rocket:
M.D.C.: of the Rockets: 14
Mega-Damage: 1D10 plus possible internal systems damage from ripping tendrils. 5D8 M.D.C for 1D3 attacks (that’s 5D8 to 15D8 point). See notes.
Maximum Effective Range: 1 mile.
Note: Tendril Injector Rocket must have a natural 16-20 to penetrate the metal hide of a robot or machine or a 13 or higher if the robot has lost 50% or more of its main body M.D.C. If a natural roll is less then 16/12 it only deals the 1D10 M.D.C. This system will not release the tendril into an organic/living target but the rocket will still deal the 1D10 M.D.C.
Bonus: +5 to strike
Bio-E Cost: +7 points per rocket.
Prerequisite: Organic Rocket, Spike Launcher.
Range Increase:
The Organic Rockets range can be increased to a maximum of 5 miles. The M.D.C. of the rocket also increases per mile of range increase by 1 M.D.C. per mile to a maximum of +4 M.D.C. per rocket.
M.D.C. of the Rockets: varies +1 per mile of increased range.
Mega-Damage: varies by type.
Maximum Effective Range: 2 to 5 mile.
Bio-E Cost: +2 points per rocket per mile of increased range.
Prerequisite: Organic Rocket
Range: Two to five miles.
Rapid Re-load:
Rockets re-grow at the rate of 1D6+1 M.D.C. per round. One rocket is replaced at a time. Once the M.D.C. is reached a rocket is replaced and ready to fire. The pilot of the Host Armor can select which rocket will be replaced first.
Bio-E Cost: 20+2 points per rocket.
Prerequisite: Organic Rocket, Regeneration: Super
Shoulder Pods:
Shoulder Pods increase the number of Organic Rockets a Host Armor can carry. A Shoulder Pod can hold up to fourteen rockets. However, no other shoulder systems can be place on this Host Armor. A Host Armor can have a total of two for a total of 28 additional rockets.
M.D.C. of the Pod: 1D4+2X10
Mega-Damage: varies by type.
Payload: up to 14 per pod
Bonus: Each Shoulder Pods adds +1 to hit per pod.
Bio-E Cost: 15, however Organic Rockets cost 1 Bio-E less per rocket per Rocket Pod, maximum of -2 per rocket. Rocket upgrades cost one less if both shoulders have the pods.
Prerequisite: none
assuming i recorded this correctly, these house rules were posted here by kank - i just don't feel like tracking down the specific post). the rocket pods help a tiny bit in terms of efficiency (if you're getting at least 15 rockets, and aren't using the shoulders for something else, you may as well get the rocket pods... and since they add another 28 possible, you can save another 56 bio-E plus they can save you on upgrades).
that said... yes, the heat gun is extremely good value for the cost.
Enhanced Organic Rockets:
Plasma:
M.D.C. of the Rockets: 12
Mega-Damage: 1D6X10 with a blast radius of 15 feet.
Maximum Effective Range: 1 mile
Bonus: +5 to strike
Bio-E Cost: +4 points per rocket.
Prerequisite: Organic Rocket
Needle Death Blossom: +2
M.D.C. of the Rockets: 10
Mega-Damage: 4D8 with a blast radius of 30 feet.
Maximum Effective Range: 1 mile.
Bonus: +5 to strike
Bio-E Cost: +3 points per rocket.
Prerequisite: Organic Rocket
Acid:
M.D.C. of the Rockets: 11
Mega-Damage: 4D6 with additional damage of 2D6 for 4 rounds. Half damage to organic matter. Blast radius of 1 foot.
Maximum Effective Range: 1 mile.
Bonus: +5 to strike
Bio-E Cost: +2 points per rocket.
Prerequisite: Organic Rocket
Impact:
M.D.C. of the Rockets: 10
Mega-Damage: 4D6 plus a 45% chance of knock down. Blast radius of 6 inches.
Maximum Effective Range: 1 mile.
Bonus: +5 to strike
Bio-E Cost: +1 points per rocket.
Prerequisite: Organic Rocket
Chemical Rocket:
M.D.C.: of the Rockets: 10
Mega-Damage: Varies as chemical sprayer with a blast radius of 20 feet.
S.D.C. Damage: Varies, As chemical sprayer.
Maximum Effective Range: 1 mile.
Bonus: +5 to strike
Bio-E Cost: +1 points per rocket.
Prerequisite: Organic Rocket, Chemical Sprayer
Lighting/EPM:
M.D.C.: of the Rockets: 13
Mega-Damage: 4D12, no blast radius.
Maximum Effective Range: 1 mile.
Note: Any biological /living creatures survive the attack must roll to save vs stun attack (15 or higher, plus any bonus from P.E.). Host Armor take normal damage plus the pilot takes 2D6 S.D.C./Hit Points. Machines take normal damage plus have a percentage chance equal to the damage done of inflicting impairments and damage as an Electro-Pulse Gun. See page 134-135 of the Splicers base book.
Bonus: +5 to strike
Bio-E Cost: +5 points per rocket.
Prerequisite: Organic Rocket, Electrical Resistance.
Tendril Injector Rocket:
M.D.C.: of the Rockets: 14
Mega-Damage: 1D10 plus possible internal systems damage from ripping tendrils. 5D8 M.D.C for 1D3 attacks (that’s 5D8 to 15D8 point). See notes.
Maximum Effective Range: 1 mile.
Note: Tendril Injector Rocket must have a natural 16-20 to penetrate the metal hide of a robot or machine or a 13 or higher if the robot has lost 50% or more of its main body M.D.C. If a natural roll is less then 16/12 it only deals the 1D10 M.D.C. This system will not release the tendril into an organic/living target but the rocket will still deal the 1D10 M.D.C.
Bonus: +5 to strike
Bio-E Cost: +7 points per rocket.
Prerequisite: Organic Rocket, Spike Launcher.
Range Increase:
The Organic Rockets range can be increased to a maximum of 5 miles. The M.D.C. of the rocket also increases per mile of range increase by 1 M.D.C. per mile to a maximum of +4 M.D.C. per rocket.
M.D.C. of the Rockets: varies +1 per mile of increased range.
Mega-Damage: varies by type.
Maximum Effective Range: 2 to 5 mile.
Bio-E Cost: +2 points per rocket per mile of increased range.
Prerequisite: Organic Rocket
Range: Two to five miles.
Rapid Re-load:
Rockets re-grow at the rate of 1D6+1 M.D.C. per round. One rocket is replaced at a time. Once the M.D.C. is reached a rocket is replaced and ready to fire. The pilot of the Host Armor can select which rocket will be replaced first.
Bio-E Cost: 20+2 points per rocket.
Prerequisite: Organic Rocket, Regeneration: Super
Shoulder Pods:
Shoulder Pods increase the number of Organic Rockets a Host Armor can carry. A Shoulder Pod can hold up to fourteen rockets. However, no other shoulder systems can be place on this Host Armor. A Host Armor can have a total of two for a total of 28 additional rockets.
M.D.C. of the Pod: 1D4+2X10
Mega-Damage: varies by type.
Payload: up to 14 per pod
Bonus: Each Shoulder Pods adds +1 to hit per pod.
Bio-E Cost: 15, however Organic Rockets cost 1 Bio-E less per rocket per Rocket Pod, maximum of -2 per rocket. Rocket upgrades cost one less if both shoulders have the pods.
Prerequisite: none
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Re: Volleyable bioweapons
I have a bunch of notes on bio-weapon upgrades, including Organic Rockets. Hopefully they'll be official in the near future.
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Re: Volleyable bioweapons
flatline wrote:I definitely agree about the importance of combat stamina. Every Host Armor should have at least one weapon that is not constrained by ammunition so that it can continue to fight in a drawn out engagement. That will be part of my evaluation when I get around to writing up my thoughts of all the ranged bioweapons available.
--flatline
First of all, your first post was truly outstanding! But how do you weight "range" when most RPG battles evolve very quickly into close combat encounters?
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Re: Volleyable bioweapons
ffranceschi wrote:flatline wrote:I definitely agree about the importance of combat stamina. Every Host Armor should have at least one weapon that is not constrained by ammunition so that it can continue to fight in a drawn out engagement. That will be part of my evaluation when I get around to writing up my thoughts of all the ranged bioweapons available.
--flatline
First of all, your first post was truly outstanding!
Thank you!
But how do you weight "range" when most RPG battles evolve very quickly into close combat encounters?
Well, I wasn't really planning on assigning a weight to range so much as simply being aware of it. If you have enough firepower, you can kill them before they close with you. If you have enough speed or stealth, you can close with them before they kill you. Every strategy has an optimal distance, but it's important to realize that you can't always control the distance and to have a viable strategy for whatever distance you end up fighting at.
Personally, I like ambush tactics that don't lend themselves to the open battlefield. Close range, but not melee range. Hand to hand is too risky and I avoid it as best I can.
--flatline
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Re: Volleyable bioweapons
WOW! Talk about an intriguing thread, great job and comparative analysis Flatline!
I think you have helped restore value in a few overlooked bio-weapon options as well as reminded us that what may seem very powerful at first may not end up the way one intends and that they should be thoughtful in purchasing something that they will be sort of stuck with via grown bio-weapons.
The cool thing though with Host Armors, Biotics, and Warmounts is that in many cases, players wont be stuck with just what bio-weapons are grown on the construct, but there is also the element of hand-held bio-weapons (Bio-rifles, rocket launchers, etc.) to assist the overall arsenal that a Player adorned in Host Armor, Living Body Armor, etc., takes into battle and this may help avoid exhaustion of one's payload on their Bio Armor. I would also consider how a Team or players conduct themselves, because range may really be a strategic set up between players during Blood feuds, not to mention how fast some of these bio constructs are capable of moving and closing in on targets in such a short amount of time.
So combat stamina if conducted wisely could be very affective for Splicers, possibly even more so than a Black Hawk Down scenario if the platoons are also carrying hand-held weapons plus their own array of Armor bio-weapons that regrow spent ammo surplus. IMHO, this factor is a bonus in a Black Hawk down scenario as long as consumption is availed "if" needed. In some cases the choice in metabolism can make this either easier or harder to fulfill.
I do like your selections of choice weapons though, and knowing the pros and cons to such an array is a huge bonus! Great job indeed! Can't wait to see your special weapons/support weapons thread!
I think you have helped restore value in a few overlooked bio-weapon options as well as reminded us that what may seem very powerful at first may not end up the way one intends and that they should be thoughtful in purchasing something that they will be sort of stuck with via grown bio-weapons.
The cool thing though with Host Armors, Biotics, and Warmounts is that in many cases, players wont be stuck with just what bio-weapons are grown on the construct, but there is also the element of hand-held bio-weapons (Bio-rifles, rocket launchers, etc.) to assist the overall arsenal that a Player adorned in Host Armor, Living Body Armor, etc., takes into battle and this may help avoid exhaustion of one's payload on their Bio Armor. I would also consider how a Team or players conduct themselves, because range may really be a strategic set up between players during Blood feuds, not to mention how fast some of these bio constructs are capable of moving and closing in on targets in such a short amount of time.
So combat stamina if conducted wisely could be very affective for Splicers, possibly even more so than a Black Hawk Down scenario if the platoons are also carrying hand-held weapons plus their own array of Armor bio-weapons that regrow spent ammo surplus. IMHO, this factor is a bonus in a Black Hawk down scenario as long as consumption is availed "if" needed. In some cases the choice in metabolism can make this either easier or harder to fulfill.
I do like your selections of choice weapons though, and knowing the pros and cons to such an array is a huge bonus! Great job indeed! Can't wait to see your special weapons/support weapons thread!
Re: Volleyable bioweapons
Hmm...I had completely forgotten that host armors could carry additional weaponry. That doesn't really affect this thread, but I'll need to update the "Primary BioWeapons" thread I started last night.
Thanks!
--flatline
Thanks!
--flatline
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Re: Volleyable bioweapons
flatline wrote:Hmm...I had completely forgotten that host armors could carry additional weaponry. That doesn't really affect this thread, but I'll need to update the "Primary BioWeapons" thread I started last night.
Thanks!
--flatline
No actually the Thanks goes back to you, because your helping us re-think and hone designs and playability. The key though is designing cool bio-weapons while attempting to preserving overall game balance and if Kevin sees munchkin seeping in, it will be augmented very quickly
Re: Volleyable BioWeapons
One thing that you forget with Flying Blades is that they are a ranged weapon that is still connected to the Host Armor, which qualifies them as Touch, letting them activate Electrical Dischargers, significantly increasing their damage.
Re: Volleyable BioWeapons
Jedrious wrote:One thing that you forget with Flying Blades is that they are a ranged weapon that is still connected to the Host Armor, which qualifies them as Touch, letting them activate Electrical Dischargers, significantly increasing their damage.
Would that take an additional attack to activate the Electrical Dischargers?
--flatline
Re: Volleyable BioWeapons
flatline wrote:Jedrious wrote:One thing that you forget with Flying Blades is that they are a ranged weapon that is still connected to the Host Armor, which qualifies them as Touch, letting them activate Electrical Dischargers, significantly increasing their damage.
Would that take an additional attack to activate the Electrical Dischargers?
--flatline
No, it's clarified in Rifter #50 I believe.
Re: Volleyable BioWeapons
I just noticed that the progression isn't light cell -> super light cell, but instead glow cell -> simple light cell -> super light cell which ups the point cost by 3pts per cell. Instead of 66pts, the total cost is 84pts. This is a bad thing from a points perspective, but since the player can decide what spectrum glow cells emit in, that implies that the super light cells can emit in the non-visible spectrum if desired. This makes things far more interesting
I noted this in the original post but left it otherwise unchanged.
--flatline
I noted this in the original post but left it otherwise unchanged.
--flatline
Re: Volleyable BioWeapons
flatline wrote:I just noticed that the progression isn't light cell -> super light cell, but instead glow cell -> simple light cell -> super light cell which ups the point cost by 3pts per cell. Instead of 66pts, the total cost is 84pts. This is a bad thing from a points perspective, but since the player can decide what spectrum glow cells emit in, that implies that the super light cells can emit in the non-visible spectrum if desired. This makes things far more interesting
I noted this in the original post but left it otherwise unchanged.
--flatline
Common misconception it's actually Glow Cell->Super Light Cell, making it 13 points per Super Light Cell. Super Light Cells require Glow Cells, not Simple Light Cells.
Re: Volleyable BioWeapons
Jedrious wrote:flatline wrote:I just noticed that the progression isn't light cell -> super light cell, but instead glow cell -> simple light cell -> super light cell which ups the point cost by 3pts per cell. Instead of 66pts, the total cost is 84pts. This is a bad thing from a points perspective, but since the player can decide what spectrum glow cells emit in, that implies that the super light cells can emit in the non-visible spectrum if desired. This makes things far more interesting
I noted this in the original post but left it otherwise unchanged.
--flatline
Common misconception it's actually Glow Cell->Super Light Cell, making it 13 points per Super Light Cell. Super Light Cells require Glow Cells, not Simple Light Cells.
You are right. So once again, the original post is wrong. I'll fix it. Again.
Thanks!
--flatline
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Re: Volleyable BioWeapons
Those are some very spectacular weapons. I hope we can get some more. Soon.
"Your Grace," she said, "I have only one question. Do you wish this man crippled or dead?"
"My Lady," the protector of Grayson told his Champion, "I do not wish him to leave this chamber alive."
"As you will it, your Grace."
HH....FIE
"My Lady," the protector of Grayson told his Champion, "I do not wish him to leave this chamber alive."
"As you will it, your Grace."
HH....FIE
Re: Volleyable BioWeapons
Ha, I misread the title as Volleyball BioWeapons. I expected a substantially different thread, great comparisons though.
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