Re: [FT] PBC, GPL

bif smith wrote:

>I have ideas for some new weapons, and require help with balancing
>and/or dammage effect (see gravitic pulse lance). All comments
>greatfully received. 
>
>Or sugestions if I ought to forget them <G>.
> 
> PLASMA BEAM CANNONS (PBC)
> 
>Combines a p.torp with a beam cannon, designed to allow beam >weapons
to become more effective against FB ships, with their >greater DP, and
allow a better representation of WW1/2 warships. 

Apart from the question why you'd want a space combat game to better
represent WW1/2 warships, I'm not entirely convinced that WW1/2
warships had any plasma beam cannon...? <g>

>High dammage potential vs greater mass required, especially for >heavy
PBC. Also makes sheilds more useful (damn near neccesary ><G>). Comes
in three sizes, Light (LPBC), Normal (PBC),
>and Heavy (HPBC).
> 
>Light PBC (LPBC)
>Mass=5 (1 arc) +1 per arc*
>Cost=x4 mass
>Range=Same as Cl.2 beam batt.
>Dammage=Roll same as a Cl.2 batt, with the same effect for
>range/sheilds. Instead of  1 or 2 DP, each DP equals 1D6 or 2D6 DP,
>with rerolls on a 6.

"Roll same as a Cl.2 batt" means including re-rolls on the dice? In
addition to the re-rolls on the damage dice?

>*Originally used 6 mass=3 arcs, & 8 mass=6 arcs. Unsure of which >is
best.

Depends on which dice exactly gets the re-rolls, but at the moment I'd
consider both variants (and the other PBCs as well) overpowered, but
modifying the re-rolls can change their values quite a lot.
 
>Heavy PBC (HPBC)
>Dammage=Same as normal PBC, except doubled (2D6 or 4D6 DP!).

If the range and number of fire arcs is the same, double (average)
damage means double Mass - unless of course you change the Cost/Mass
ratio.

>GRAVITIC PULSE LANCE (GPL)
>Designed to fire a focused, high powered gravitic pulse at a enemy,
>and cause the gravitic systems to short out/overload. Thought up to
>take out kinetic sheilds and such like. Systems taken out by this
>weapon would be allowed to be repaired with a succesful DCP roll.
>Would only work against certain systems, and would effect all these
>systems with one shot. Always fires first, so if hits may allow other
>weapons to follow up and aviod sheilds (already taken out).
> Range=8 MU?
> Cost=x5 mass?

What the Cost/Mass ratio should be depends a bit on its Mass though :-/

>To Hit Roll=1D6, hits on a 5 or 6.
>System Effected=Kinetic sheilds (overloads generator), Normal
>sheilds? (maybe, undecided at the moment), Hyperdrive (shorted out >by
pulse, until repaired, no FTL), Advanced drives (say 1/2 thrust until
>repaired, or if using cinematic, affects all drives), K-guns (if you
say >K-guns use gravitic accelerators), Long range sensors (could also
>effect long range f.con control, say requiring 2 f.cons for targets
over >24 MU?, undecided),

Let's see... on a KV ship that leaves the cargo holds (if any),
scatterguns and fighter bays (if any). The fighters themselves would be
fried though, unless their engines are radically different from
starship engines. Human missiles would probably suffer the same fate
too, for the same reason.

>Acceleration compensators (ship loses DCP/Crew factors equal to
>thrust used that turn. Represents the crew being killed/injured by
high >G falls when compensators fail suddenly.

IOW, cruiser-sized or smaller KV ships are likely to lose all their
DCPs in addition to their weapons and engines. Not particularly easy to
get within 8mu of an *evading* KV ship of course, but it happens quite
often if the KV are *attacking*.

All in all I'd rather forget this one than try to balance it :-/

Izenberg, Noam wrote:

>A Normal PBC masses 2.5 Times a P-torp.
>Here's how the damage stats go (from quick calcs. Please forgive if I
>err in my analysis):
> 
>Range Avg. Dam. 2.5xTorp	3xTorp		PBC
>0-6"		7.3		8.75		6.33
>6-12"		5.8		7		6.33
>12"-18"	4.4		5.25		4.22
>18"-24"	2.9		3.5		4.22
>24"30" 1.5		1.75		2.11
>30-36" 0				2.11

If I understood Bif correctly the PBC would inflict (3 beam dice = avg.
2.4) * (1d6 with re-roll on '6' = avg 4.2) = on average 10.08 damage
points at range 0-12, etc. for the other range bands. And that's with
1d6 dmg per "beam DP" - double it if you use 2d6 damage per "beam DP"
<shudder>

However, the PBCs suffer the same degradation from screens than normal
beams do (or worse, depending on whether or not the initial "beam dice"
get re-rolls), so it should be compared to beams and not to P-torps.

Later,
	
Oerjan Ohlson
oerjan.ohlson@telia.com

"Life is like a sewer.
  What you get out of it, depends on what you put into it."