Hi,

First the general question, what kind of action is activating a solo mode ability?

Then on to some specifics, only looking at the abilities that will directly effect my players.

Feat of Strength :: Does this add to melee damage as well? If so can a player activate it between hitting and damage?

Blood Frenzy :: Can this ability be activated after making a failed roll to reroll it?

Stoic defense :: Effectively 5 free wounds for every combat? Can it be activated in response to taking damage? What is a 'Chosen Location'? Since movement speed is halved which is the goal moving slowly or staying in a certain area?

Wolf Sense :: Can a space wolf after failing a roll remove his helmet and then reroll?

Thanks,

Baz

Bazleebub said:

Generally it's a free action.

Yes, FoS does add to melee damage but no you can't use a free action in the middle of another action - in this case attacking. You must use them sequentially in general.

? Blood Frenzy does allow reroll of damage only. But again - you can't use a free action in the middle of another action.

Stoic Defense even provides 6 wounds per combat. No, it cannot be used in response because it has to be your turn to execute a free action. Chosen Location is the location at which the Marine initiates the ability, use GM's discretion. The basic idea is that if the Marine strays too far away, he will lose the bonus for this fight. Give him a fair warning what you consider too far (leaving the room, the bunker, the crater, the trench line, whatever).

Wolf Sense - good question. Basically I would say no because I'd like to have a Space Wolf decide beforehand whether to wear helmet or not. However I would rule that if there is something that can be detected by smell, he'd get another perception roll plus re-roll for the power. But that's a house rule and different GMs will see it differently.

Alex

I interpret "chosen location" as "where you stand", as it's stated that you lose the bonus wounds if you're moved away from that location by your own choice or involuntarily. So if you move 1 meter you lose it.

However, with the rank 5 improvement you're allowed to move your agility bonus in meters each round without losing the effects of the ability. I assume that's your halved agility bonus, so you won't be able to move far if you still want the bonus wounds.

ak-73 said:

This is the Warhammer 40,000 universe, where the Laws of Physics are in a distinctly subservient role to the Rule of Cool. So, given the right circumstances, I would allow such a re-roll.

Battle-Brother Erik the Bloodyhewn scanned the chamber, unike the areas of the space hulk the kill-team had cleared earlier, this one showed signs of xenos activitiy. The lights were out - even the emergency backups had failed (or been cut) - there were claw marks on the floor, and a blood splatter n the starboard bulk head was the only sign that a human had once been here. The other walls had been coated in some strange crystalline secreation... his Auspex readout indicated the room was clear, his armor's multilens showed nothing in any of the visual spectrums it could read... but something felt wrong.

Erik raised his fist, as one the kill-team halted dead still outside the door... although Erik thought he saw Brother Grimaldis take his flamer from safe to standby. Erik popped the seal on his helmet, and removed it carefully. He paused, and half kneeling, drew his combat knife... he sniffed the stale air of the chamber. Without a word, the knife arced through the air, slicing through the alien hive wall like a plasmasword through soft grox-butter. The alien screamed, shuddered, and fell dead... its adative camoflauge failing as it died.

My thing with wolf senses is players generally should not be making perception checks, unless they specifically ask to do them. So if a lictor is hiding in wait, I would not make a general "Everyone roll perception", tipping off the possibility that there may be a hidden enemy. If they ask to make a perception roll, then sure, they realize that with the helmet on they don't get quite as good a sense, and can make a new test (which they can then reroll).

At least, thats my take on it.

KommissarK said:

Why should your players ask to do perception checks when they generally are a _reaction_ to something? If a lictor is hiding, it's an opposed test, the hiding lictor's silent move/concealment vs. awareness. Now, sure, you don't want to tip your players off. I can understand that.

The solution is for you to do hidden rolls for them, using their awareness. Sure, it may take a bit longer than asking everyone to roll themselves, but that's the price for not tipping your players off. However, even this might make your player suspicious, but then again, if you're not doing perception checks, then they will always be ambushed and never noticing the hidden enemy before they attack. How realistic is that, especially with a space wolf going solo mode in the kill-team?

Removing your helmet in response to a failed perception test in which the subject recieved no indication there was anything to alarm them, twigs my metagaming senses.

A space wolf dosen't turn to his comrades and say "**** it! Failed my perception, cover me while I take my helmet off for a sniff."

If you get suspicious, sure, yank off your lid and have a good sniff, but if you failed your roll, and you don't detect anything. Your space wolf dosen't have a "detect plot" roll to know when he needs to take his helmet off so he can see better.

BrotharTearer said:

I aggree perception is the 5 senses, either you notice it or you don't, if you are activly looking you would gain a reduction on the Degree of Difficulty. For the example given what I do is have the kill team make a awareness test in the beging of the session, I use that for my baseline unless they are activily searching or scrutinizing then they reroll and have modifiers.