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Heavy Beams - 3rd Attempt

From: Sean Bayan Schoonmaker <schoon@a...>
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2000 08:12:25 -0800
Subject: Heavy Beams - 3rd Attempt

OK, 3rd times the charm, right? (why do I hear snickering in the
background?)

For those who don't care to read the entire thing again, here's what
changed:

(1) Corrected my error on Class 3 BPS pricing. The progression is 4 MASS
per class and POINT COST of MASSx3.

(2) Changed BEs so they do not have to match BPS class, but DO have a
limit
on the nymber of EPs that may be channeled through them.

(3) A couple notes have been added for explanation of why I did certain
things. They are separated by a carriage return and brackets [].

Heavy Beams

Heavy Beams consist of two (or more) systems on the SSD: the Beam Power
System (BPS) and at least one Beam Emitter (BE).

The BPS is a combination of generator, capacitor, and discharger that
can
store a number of Energy Points (EPs) up to twice its class rating. It
can
discharge any number of stored EPs through any given Emitter.

The BPS generates power at the beginning of each turn, During Step 1:
Write
Orders for All Ships. The BPS rolls two dice for each class rating,
which
are scored like Beam dice. The result is the number of EPs added to the
BPS's capacitor, up to its maximum. For example, on a Class 2 BPS the
rolls
are 2, 3, 5, and 6 (re-roll of 3). This generates (0+0+1+2) 3 EPs.

When taking damage and a BPS fails a threshold check, they are not
automatically knocked out of commission. Instead, they are treated in
much
the same manner as drives: the first hit halves the capacity of the
system,
making it equal to rather than twice its rating, and also halves the
number
of dice rolled for EP generation. The second hit destroys the system and
inflicts an additional number of damage points equal to the number of
EPs
currently stored in the BPS

Beam Power System:
Class 1 4 MASS	12 POINT COST
Class 2 8 MASS	24 POINT COST
Class 3 12 MASS 36 POINT COST
Šetc.

[NOTE: Even though I could have done Class 1-6, at 2 MASS and the same
cost
per MASS, so it would be 1 die and 1 point capacitance per Class, that
would make damage a real pain. I'd have to round down on halving, and
everyone would just buy even numbers anyway.]

EPs must be channeled through a Beam Emitter. Each BE is linked to a
single
BPS, and may make use of any EPs stored therein, up to its emission
limit.
A BE must be larger to handle a larger power load channeled through it.
A
BE may use a number of EPs up to twice its class. When firing, each EP
assigned to a BE allows one die roll. Subtract one from this die for
each
full 6 MU of range, and the result is the damage done to the target. For
example: A ship allocates 3 EPs to a BE, firing at a target 15" away.
The 3
dice roll 2, 4, and 5. The dice are scored 0, 2, and 3, resulting in 5
damage points to the target. Emitters are affected normally by threshold
rolls. Emitters fire though only one arc.

Beam Emitter:
Class 1 1 MASS	3 POINT COST
Class 2 2 MASS	6 POINT COST
Class 3 3 MASS	9 POINT COST
Šetc.

[NOTE: Couldn't do the class# = # of EPs allowed, as it would have
required
fractional accounting, which is BAD. Besides, this way it matches the
BPS
system more closely. Changing the Emitter rules to allow for a variety
of
BE types on a single BPS gives designers a great deal of flexibility.]

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