Alright, thanks.

How do you use Soundstrike Missile Launchers in your games? The CRB states that the Missile Launcher has an ammo backpack with it and a loading claw that loads any missile type the user wants into the Launcher tube. In a game I am a player in, my character has a Soundstrike. The requisition cost asterisk states that one magazine of krak and one magazine of frag missiles come with the Launcher.

So I assume that both magazines (16 missiles) are in the Ammo backpack... right? My character also requisitioned a magazine of incendiary and concussion missiles. Are those in the backpack as well (32 missiles... seems pretty high)? If yes, and the missiles are all kept in an armored ammo backpack, does that mean there is no reload for the weapon until it runs dry?

How have you resolved this in your games?

I would rule the soundstrike backpack has enough room for 16 missiles total in two seperate magazines. Additional ammo can be purchased in a magazine, but the backpack can only hold 2 magazines at once. So your additional ammo will be in a box dangling from some part of you. Or you can just take a clip of rockets, which is rocket ammo taken normally.

Unless the extra magazines are slotted into the backpack (requiring a complicated reload - 4 full actions: 2 to disconnect attached magazine and 2 to connect new one, probably with the help of someone) they require 3 FULL actions to load a shot from them into the launcher (grab magazine, pry out a rocket, put magazine away, load rocket into launcher). 1 full action to load it into the launcher. Loading a rocket into a launcher from a clip by hand should only cost 1 half action to ready a rocket and 1 full action to reload.

Rocket ammo costs are for hand-loading ammount. At most your players should get 3 rockets per extra ammo requisition spent, whether they go into a magazine or not.

OK, I have one for you boys.

A Rad Spider attacked an Ork Boy with an All Out Attack. It also had Furious Assault and Clutch-Bite. All the attacks succeeded, so that was two attacks with the stab arms and one bite. All of them hit the Ork in the head.

The Ork has no armor on its head, only a TB to negate damage. I combined the damage of all the attacks and subtracted 8 (the Orks TB). My question is this: did I handle this correctly, or should I have subtracted the toughness bonus from each individual attack? Keep in mind, all the attacks happened in the same round, roughly at the same time, and against the same body part.

TB goes for each attack/hit separated. Even if the rad spider aimed for the same spot (1/2 or full action) it's still subtracted for every hit. Otherwise your game will be pretty deadly! So in conclusion, if you combine your attacks, that would be 24 TB. Besides, an ork head is pretty big

Edit: In our group we sometimes circumvent this rule by pinning a weapon into the enemy. Damage caused by pushing it further into the enemy goes without TB. On the other hand, that means you can't parry anymore(except with your offhand) and to dodge you have to let go of your weapon. Still this is not really a rule in our group, but more used when fights get epic. Like jumping onto a harridan and pinning the force sword into it's head, which might also cause Agility and/or Strength Tests to avoid getting shaken off and can even end with a lost sword... but I'm getting carried away

Yup, Each individual source of damage (in this case each hit) has the damage it deals reduced by toughness.

OK, cool. Thanks, guys.

I am running a PbP at www.dndarchive.com, so sometimes getting the game a little extra-deadly helps move things a long. I will keep that in mind when dealing with my PCs and higher up enemies, but a couple of Orks - well they can die fast. Especially in an ambush.

The situation was just beautiful. The patrol of Orks had a Rad Spider on a leash; unbeknownst to them, the leash itself was channeling their latent psychic energy to keep the Rad Spider in line. One of my PCs succeeded big time on a single Bolter shot that broke the chain and broke the psychic bond. The Rad Spider annihilated two of the Orks almost immediately. Good times.

I have a new one: My SW Dev just fired a Concussion missile at a group of 4 meganobs. He hit with 6 DoS. Now, do ALL four meganobs (who are all within the 5m blast radius) take damage? If not, would it make sense to have them take SOME damage at pen 0?

Yes, everyone under the blast radius takes damage. Unless they succeed in Dodge test

When dodging blast damage a character must BOTH succeed on a dodge test AND be able to move out of the blast radius with a move equal to his Agility Bonus. Somehow I doubt those meganobs could do it.

It depends on where the blast epicenter is.

If some get out, no, they should not take any damage.

I hit those fuckers right in the center of the Nobs. They were packed together after being lured into a canyon ambush.

Also, they were surprised by my attack. I doubt they even get a dodge chance - they never knew the missile was coming until it was detonating on their buddy.

Yup, a character can not use a reaction against an attack he is unaware of.

A Surprised character counts as being unaware for the first turn of combat.

Characters attacking an unaware target gain a +30 to their attack test.

I just realized this didn't censor "fuckers."

When dodging blast damage a character must BOTH succeed on a dodge test AND be able to move out of the blast radius with a move equal to his Agility Bonus. Somehow I doubt those meganobs could do it.

What was Meganobs Agility 30-ish, I doubt, like you Herichimo, that they can get out of that Blast (5) radius.

Also just short time ago noticed that the Blast effect area is mentioned as Radius not Diameter. (English not being the main language) This epiphany made Grenades, Missiles and all Blast weapons more dangerous than me and my group used to play them.

So those Meganobs would have to move 5 meters to get out of the Blast area if they are in the dead center of the explosion.

When dodging blast damage a character must BOTH succeed on a dodge test AND be able to move out of the blast radius with a move equal to his Agility Bonus. Somehow I doubt those meganobs could do it.

What was Meganobs Agility 30-ish, I doubt, like you Herichimo, that they can get out of that Blast (5) radius.

Also just short time ago noticed that the Blast effect area is mentioned as Radius not Diameter. (English not being the main language) This epiphany made Grenades, Missiles and all Blast weapons more dangerous than me and my group used to play them.

So those Meganobs would have to move 5 meters to get out of the Blast area if they are in the dead center of the explosion.

Wow. Well done!

I hit those fuckers right in the center of the Nobs. They were packed together after being lured into a canyon ambush.

Also, they were surprised by my attack. I doubt they even get a dodge chance - they never knew the missile was coming until it was detonating on their buddy.

Isn't Surprise an opposed test unless you use that Storm Warden Squad Mode?

Maybe I'm lenient with Surprise. If you know you're chasing an enemy, you're less likely to be Surprised because you're expecting to be shot at. That's how I usually play it at least.

The Orks were lured into the bottom of a 50m canyon where an enormous earth mover's plasma reactor was detonated.

They had just started getting up when Marines who had been hidden on the top of said Canyon fired into them. And they are stupid, stupid Orks. They didn't know what was going on.

Orks is made fer fightin'. I wouldn't run them as being that horribly stupid.

I run them as their intelligence/awareness scores dictate. The dice don't lie.

I hit those fuckers right in the center of the Nobs. They were packed together after being lured into a canyon ambush.

Also, they were surprised by my attack. I doubt they even get a dodge chance - they never knew the missile was coming until it was detonating on their buddy.

Isn't Surprise an opposed test unless you use that Storm Warden Squad Mode?

Maybe I'm lenient with Surprise. If you know you're chasing an enemy, you're less likely to be Surprised because you're expecting to be shot at. That's how I usually play it at least.

No, suprise is just something that happens. If an enemy wasn't ready for an attack and gets ambushed, they can be suprised. There are abilities which can possibly negate being suprised (lightning reflexes), but you don't have to pass or fail anything to be suprised in the first place.

Good planning or just plain luck will suprise a character or group. (Heh have good guys and bad guys come around corner at same time, both sides suprised, everyone stares slack-jawed at each other for 1 turn.)

If you're in an explosion, let's say dead center of the blast, it can only 'hit' one location? IE, if you dive on a grenade and it explodes and you roll hit location 'right arm', that's the only thing that takes damage? No chest, no head, no legs...

Yes, for simplicity's sake it is run that way.

Alex

Get out of my room, Alex.

Quick question,

say I have a critically injured marine. What are his options for healing during the mission?

Healing in the book is confusing the **** out of me.

Example Marine: TB:10 wounds:22

1: Normal "natural" healing
Lightly wounded (defined on page 262) character heals 1 damage a day. (with bed rest heals TB)

Heavily wounded (p. 262) character heals 1 damage a week. (with complete rest heals TB)
Critical wounded (p. 262) character cannot heal naturally, with medical treatment will remove 1 point of crit damage a week.

Once a character's wounds reach the next threshold (through healing) he immediately becomes that level. Example marine has 1 point of crit damage, is treated for 1 week at medical facility and removes 1 point of crit damage. He is now Heavily damaged. He focuses completely on rest (for a space marine this means light training vs. normal training I'd imagine) and heals 10 wounds at the end of the week. Now he is lightly wounded. Focusing on rest the character takes 2 more days to heal the remaining 12 wounds. Total healing time from -1 crit damage: 2 weeks and 2 days.

2: First aid is a 1 time attempt to mitigate damage sustained, to that point, in combat.

a: When a character has suffered damage, any character with the medicae skill can attempt to use first aid. If the test is succesful the wounded party heals a number of wounds equal to the healer's Int Bonus modified by the healer's abilities. UNLESS the character is Heavily or Critically damaged, then the wounded party heals only 1 wound modified by the healer's abilities. If failed, the wounded marine heals ZERO damage.

b: Any wounds not healed by a First Aid attempt (succseful or not) count as Treated and may NOT be healed again with First Aid UNTIL the character heals those wounds naturally (See #1).

Example: Our marine takes 12 points of damage from a chaos dude, then he is healed for 10 damage. The last 2 wounds remain and cannot be healed by First Aid until the character heals them naturally (one day of natural w/rest or 2 days w/o rest for this character). Though the other 20 wounds may be healed via First Aid again, if the character takes more damage.

c: Certain equipment and talents can modify the wounded threshold for the healer. For instance a character using a Netharcium counts a wounded space marine as Lightly Wounded as long as the character has taken equal to or less than 3 times his TB in damage. But it does not change the threshold for heavy or crit; if the marine is 1 point above 3xTB and now in normal crit threshold, the character is Critically Wounded. These abilities generally do not stack (so no 2xTB + 3xTB = 5xTB) .

Example: Our marine has taken 20 wounds. The character counts as Heavily damaged for natural healing, but an apothecary with a Netharcium can treat the character with First Aid as if he was Lightly Wounded as 3x our marine's TB equals 30, which is more than he has suffered. If the apothecary didn't have a netharcium the wounded marine would only have healed 1 wound, as he was normally Heavily Wounded.

3: Certain talents, such as Hardy or Autosanguine, change the behavior of natural healing.

a: Both Hardy and Autosanguine improve natural healing, but they do not affect First Aid attempts (your toughness does not improve a surgeon's ability to use a suture needle).

b: Autosanguine allows a character to always naturally heal (at a faster rate even), even overiding the normal no healing in crit rule.

c: Hardy allows nearly the same, but when critically damaged the character will not heal naturally (a character can not naturally heal when in crit) unless recieving medical treatment (then the character heals as if he was Lightly Damaged). This is because the character is not "counted as Lightly wounded" but when he heals, he does so as if Lightly Wounded, meaning if he cannot heal he gains no benefit.