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Combat Rules
Due to the various different rules for dodging and parrying found in the different Palladium games, I decided to settle on a standard for all the games I play !his is "ased primarily on the rules in the second edition #eroes $nlimited%!&', since I like ho( it handles dodges against "ullets and other )fast) attacks

Strike
* roll to strike is on the standard +d,-, plus any "onuses listed here * total of . or higher is needed to hit in hand/to/hand or melee com"at * total of 0 or higher is needed to hit (ith a ranged (eapon In hand/to/hand com"at, add "onuses from Physical Pro(ess and your #!# training In melee com"at, add "onuses from Physical Pro(ess and your 1eapon Proficiency %if any', "ut do N2! add your #!# skill "onuses In ranged com"at, only use your 1eapon Proficiency "onuses and do N2! add either PP or #!# "onuses Ranged (eapons are difficult to use against fast moving targets !he target can choose to spend e3tra actions dodging an attack and cause the attacker to "e at a /4 to strike %see dodging "elo(' Regardless of (hether the target makes that effort, there is al(ays a /4 to strike targets moving faster than 5- mph and a /6 against targets moving faster than +,- mph !hese "onuses are cumulative, so a super/fast character moving at +,- mph (ho also spends an e3tra action dodging can impose a total of /0 on his attacker7s strike roll 8ritical Strikes 8ritical strikes are achieved "y rolling a very high natural dice roll *t first level, a natural roll of ,- is a critical strike and it can only "e parried or dodged "y another natural ,- *t higher levels a character may make critical attacks upon rolling a +0 or +9, "ut those crits can "e parried normally, ie the victim gets his normal defensive "onuses *ny crit (hich is not successfully parried or dodged (ill do dou"le damage after all "onuses Some types of attacks, like leap attacks and :ump kicks, may "e defined as )critical) attacks "ut they can "e parried and dodged normally If a high dice roll critical result is rolled during a leap attack or :ump kick, the damage is tripled 8alled Shots 8alled shots re;uire a strike total of +4 or more to hit the specified target Depending on the si<e of the target, there may "e additional penalties as (ell For e3ample, striking an arm is generally at /,, striking the head is a /4, and hitting the eyes may "e a /. or /6 If the resulting total is over +4 the target is hit, "ut if it is a +, or less "ut still "eats the strike num"er normally re;uired %. for melee or 0 for ranged' then the standard )main "ody) is hit instead If you succeed in making a called shot to a "ody part that does not have armor, full damage is done to the opponent even if the final strike total didn7t e3ceed the actual *R Death Blo(s * death "lo( is a special attack designed to kill an opponent *ny character can attempt a death "lo( if they are trained in the attack form they are using %#and/to/#and training for a punch or kick, or a 1eapon Proficiency in the melee or ranged (eapon "eing used' *ttempting a death "lo( uses t(o actions instead of :ust one, and it must count as a called shot (ith an appropriate strike penalty !he =& should assume a strike penalty of /. to hit a sufficiently vulnera"le area, unless the circumstances dictate other(ise %for e3ample, there might "e no penalty to the strike roll if the attacker has the >drop? on his target and is holding a gun to the targets head' If the resulting strike roll is +4 or higher, the death "lo( (orks, other(ise if the strike total "eats the re;uired total of . in melee or 0 for ranged com"at then normal damage is done to the target@s >main "ody? Death "lo(s must still penetrate

armor to "e effective, so you must e3ceed the armor rating of the target If the victim is a normal human, a death "lo( does one half the total damage directly to hit points and the other half damage to SD8 If it is also a critical strike, it does one times the normal damage direct to hit points in addition to one times the normal damage to SD8 If the victim has e3traordinary, superhuman or supernatural PS or PA, then death "lo(s do one ;uarter damage direct to hit points and three ;uarters damage to SD8 2n a critical strike, those percentatges are dou"led, so one half damage to hit points and one and one half damage to SD8 In addition to the damage, if the victim naturally "io/regenerates damage, it cannot "io/regenerate the death "lo( in:ury for . time units, (here the time unit is the normal "io/regeneration period For e3ample, something that "io/regenerates every round could not "egin healing from a death "lo( for at least . rounds, (hile someone (ho "io/regenerates once per hour (ould have to (ait . hours Note that other forms of healing %first aid, magic, etc' can heal these (ounds at any time, and if the "eing does not "io/regenerate then the damage is healed at the normal rate Death "lo(s are only effective against living targets *nimated dead %including vampiresB' are not affected, nor are golems, ro"ots or people (ith full "ionic conversion Some high level characters (ill also get death "lo(s as part of their #and/to/#and training If the #t# skill specifies a specific die roll, then it may "e used as an optional effect of any attack (ith a natural die roll e;ual to or over the listed num"er, (ithout it having "een declared in advance #o(ever, if your #!# training does not e3plicitly limit it to a specific natural die roll, it can "e used "oth as an optional effect of any critical attack (ithout declaring it prior to the strike, and it can also "e declared prior to the strike in (hich case it only takes + action instead of t(o, "ut it still counts as a called shot Paired 1eapons $sing paired (eapons, if you have the training, allo(s you to perform multiple actions simultaneously *ll actions count to(ards the total for the round, ho(ever, so you do not get any )e3tra) attacks !he "enefit comes from the fact that the character could use , actions to make , simultaneous strikes, and the defender can only parry one of them, although he could still try to dodge the second *lternatively, the character (ith paired (eapons could use one to parry an attacker7s thrust (hile simultaneously striking "ack (ith the second (eapon %using up one attack', (hich his opponent couldn7t parry

Parry
Parrying is an attempt to "lock an incoming attack so that it does no damage 8haracters (ith no hand/to/hand training must spend an action to parry, (hile characters (ith a #!# skill may parry for free any attacks they can see %e3cept for simulataneous attacks / see paired (eapon strikes a"ove' Roll +d,- and add your Physical Pro(ess "onuses In hand/to/hand com"at you may add any "onuses from your #!# skill "ut N2! (eapon proficiency "onuses In melee you may add your (eapon proficiency "onuses "ut N2! your #!# "onuses !here are penalties to your parry attempt if you are trying to parry a (eapon attack (ith your "are hands, or (hen parrying a ranged attack (ith either your hands or an o":ect 8onsult the follo(ing ta"le vs #and/to/ vs &elee vs !hro(n vs Bo(s and vs Bullets and Skill Being $sed #and 1eapon 1eapon 8ross"o(s Beams Basic /6 /+/+. nCa A3pert /5 /6 /+nCa &artial *rts /, /4 /6 nCa *ssassin /5 /6 /+nCa &elee 1eapon or /, /5 /+Shield

Dodge
!he act of avoiding an attack, a dodge al(ays uses an action unless a character has an a"ility (hich e3plicitly provides for an )automatic dodge) !he defender must roll a dodge total that e;uals or e3ceeds the strike total of the attack to avoid damage Bonuses from Physical Pro(ess and any #and/to/#and !raining (ill apply to normal dodges against hand/to/hand attacks, melee attacks, and thro(n o":ects

Dodging arro(s, "ullets, "eam attacks and similar fast moving attacks means you do not get *ND "onuses to the dodge roll unless you have a higher initiative than the attacker for that melee round Note that a moving target is harder to hit (ith ranged (eapons, so if the defender dodges and sacrifices one e3tra action %t(o total' for movement, rolling to the ground, etc, the attacker (ill also have a /4 strike penalty Fast moving targets are also harder to hit, so refer to the section on strike rolls a"ove for details * character (ith an automatic dodge does N2! use the standard "onuses 2nly the PP "onus and any "onuses listed "y the po(er that provides the automatic dodge can "e used #e may choose to spend an action on the dodge to gain his standard "onuses

Hand-to-Hand Combat Terms

Introduction #and/to/#and 8om"at !erms o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o *rmor Rating *ttacks Per &elee *ttri"ute 8heck Blind 8om"at *ctions 8om"at Bonuses 8om"at Range 8ritical Strike #it Points Initiative Enockdo(n Natural Roll &ega/Damage 8apacity &elee *ction &elee Round Prone Sneak *ttack Structural Damage 8apacity

 ntrodu!tion
#and/to/#and com"at in the Palladium Books system is "oth very good and very unorgani<ed It offers ama<ing room for improvement and enhancement, "ut it has no formal structure and many of the "est com"at maneuvers, especially those from Nin:as G Superspies, can "e confusing to use in actual com"at !his document presents a series of important terms for hand/to/hand com"at &ost of these should "e familiar to players and none have really changed much from their original form in the Palladium Books system, "ut there are some changes F

Combat Term Des!ri"tions

F + *rmor RatingH

!here are t(o ma:or types of *rmor Rating used in the game !he first type is for living creatures and is mostly referred to as natural armor rating, (hile the second type is for "ody armor, medieval armor, and for clothing that is (orn *lso, some inorganic vehicles may possess an armor rating that is used in a similar manner as natural armor rating, "ut this is rare For natural armor rating, a creature is provided an * R value, such as +,, and for any damage to "e inflicted upon this creature, the strike roll, including "onuses, must "e e;ual to or greater then the armor rating value, (hich is +, in this case, or the attack does no damage In the case of "ody armor, the armor rating is used to represent ho( much of a person7s "ody is covered "y the armor For e3ample, a half suit of "ody armor has an armor rating of +,, (hile a full suit of plate armor might has an armor rating of +0 If a strike roll against a person (earing armor, including all "onuses to strike, is less than the value of the armor rating of the armor, then the armor is damaged, other(ise the attack (ill hit the person (earing the armor &ost full suits of armor, such as po(er armor, (ould have an armor rating of ,- to represent that the armor provides complete coverage to the (earer F + *ttacks Per &eleeH %also kno(n as &elee *ttacks'

*ttacks per &elee represent the num"er of times that a person can perform an attack or an attack/ e;uivalent action in a melee round !he num"er of attacks per melee that a person can perform is generally dictated "y their level of e3perience and their com"at training and the "ase num"er of attacks for their race #umans and most humanoid races "egin (ith t(o attacks per melee (ithout any com"at training *ttacks per melee are used for almost everything involving com"at, from attacking to casting spells Some actions and attacks re;uire multiple melee attacks to complete, such as a Po(er Punch (hich re;uires t(o melee attacks In these cases, the attack occurs during the com"atant7s first action, "ut during each of the character7s ne3t fe( turns, (hen they (ould normally get to perform a melee attack, they lose that attack !his is usually "ecause the character has to recover from using a complicated or po(erful action During this recovery period, the character can perform defensive and defection actions normally, e3cept those that re;uire a melee attack to "e used, such as Dodge F + *ttri"ute 8heckH

*n attri"ute check is needed (hen a character is attempting an action that uses one of the attri"utes, such as trying to force open a door or escape from a :oint lock 1hen performing an attri"ute check, you roll +D,- and add your attri"ute to that roll For an attri"ute check against another creature, such as escaping from a :oint lock, the opponent must also roll an attri"ute check and the highest result (ins, (ith the defender (inning ties 1hen performing a strength check, creatures (ith A3traordinary Strength adds an additional I. to their die roll, creatures (ith Ro"otic strength adds I+- to their die roll, and creatures (ith Supernatural Strength add I+. to their die roll F

BlindH

* person is "linded if they are in a situation (here they cannot see !his could "e caused "y a "urst of light or "y "eing shrouded in darkness (ithout the a"ility to see in the dark !here are only t(o levels of darkness that applyH the first is total darkness, (here the character can see a"solutely nothing and the second is near darkness, (here there is enough light to vaguely see shapes that are very close to the character, "ut nothing else is discerna"le In total darkness, the character loses all normal com"at "onuses and suffers a penalty of /+- to all com"at rollsJ all skills that use vision are impossi"le to perform In near darkness, the character loses all normal com"at "onuses and suffers a penalty of /4 to all com"at rolls unless the target is in =rappling RangeJ all skills that use vision suffer a /.-K penalty *ttacks per melee and initiative are unchanged, "ut the character (ill "e lashing out (ildly and mostly guessing (here his opponents are F + 8om"at *ctionsH

!here are four main types of com"at actions !he first is the offensive action, (hich is generally used as an attack or in place of an attack !he second is the defensive action, (hich only can "e used against a single incoming attack (hen applica"le, "oth Parry and Dodge are defense actions !he third is the deflection action, (hich attempts to deflect or reduce incoming damage if it is not avoidedJ Roll (ith punch C impact C fall falls into this category !he forth is the movement action, (hich allo(s a character to move or perform a movement action * character can only perform a single offensive action per melee attack, although some re;uire more the one melee attack to finish * character can perform only a single defensive action against each offensive action, although certain offensive actions can only "e defended against "y certain defensive actions If an offensive action hits a character, such as if a defensive action failed to (ork, a single deflection action, such as Break Fall, can "e used Please see #and/to/#and 8om"at *ctions for a complete list of com"at actions F + 8om"at BonusesH

8om"at "onuses are any "onuses that apply to rolls made during com"at, specifically to 8om"at *ctions, such as strike, parry, and dodge 8om"at "onuses can "e ac;uired through a variety of sources, such as high physical attri"utes, hand/to/hand com"at skills, and racial "onuses Some "onuses may not "e applica"le at all times and it is important to keep track of such "onuses separately For e3ample, I4 to strike from a high P P attri"ute does not apply to using a hand gun, (hile the skill 1 P Pistol provides no "onuses (hen using a s(ord to strike an opponent F + 8om"at Range %Long &elee Range, &elee Range, =rappling Range' H

1hen it comes to hand/to/hand com"at, a short distance can make a (orld of difference In melee com"at, there are three distancesH Long &elee Range, &elee Range, and =rappling Range !hese distances are very important as certain a"ilities can only "e used at certain distances Fighting styles can also change (hich distance that a person (ould like to engage at For e3ample, a (restler possesses a num"er of grappling attacks so (ould like to engage at =rappling Range, a "o3er en:oys further reach so (ould like to engage at &elee Range, and anyone e;uipped (ith a long pole arm, like a pike, (ould find it almost impossi"le to function at distances closer then Long &elee Range Please note that (orrying over com"at ranges can slo( com"at do(n, so if they are not for your campaign please ignore them and anything to do (ith them Since there can "e creatures of different si<e fighting each other, there can also "e creatures have a different ranges then a normal #uman For e3ample, a giant could "e at &elee Range (ith a #uman, "ut that #uman (ould "e at Long &elee Range (ith the giant =enerally, range for most #umanoids is determined "y their height and length is used for creatures that are su"stantially longer then they are tall Regardless of Spd attri"ute, it al(ays re;uires one melee action to move from Long &elee Range to &elee Range and one melee action to move from &elee Range to =rappling Range o Long &elee RangeH *t this distance, a com"atant is roughly t(ice their height or length a(ay from their opponent and cannot hit their opponent e3cept (ith long range (eapons, long (eapons, and melee attacks that re;uire a lot of room to perform, such as a Leap *ttack If using a grid com"at system, a #uman/si<ed opponent (ould "e , s;uares a(ay from their opponent o &elee RangeH !his is the standard distance for com"atants, roughly e;ual to the

height or length of the com"atant *t this range, most attack can "e used, "ut there are attacks that cannot "e performed "ecause they re;uire the com"atants to "e closer or further a(ay from each other If using a grid com"at system, a #uman/si<ed opponent (ould "e + s;uare a(ay from their opponent o =rappling RangeH !his is the closest range possi"le "et(een t(o com"atants that are not actually grappling each other *t this range, most attacks are still possi"le, "ut none of the kick attacks, e3cept for the Snap Eick attack, are possi"le If using a grid com"at system, a #uman/si<ed opponent (ould "e in the same s;uare as their opponent

F +

8ritical StrikeH

*ll attacks are su":ect to critical strikes, unless other(ise stated * critical strike occurs (hen an attack roll, usually a strike roll, "ut not al(ays, is a natural, unmodified ,- 1hen a critical strike occurs, the die rolls for the attack are dou"led and any damage "onus is dou"led For e3ample, if a punch normally inflicts +D5I4 points of damage, then it (ill inflict ,D5I6 points of damage on a critical strike Some types of additional damage are not dou"led, "ut this (ill "e stated in their description F + #it PointsH

#it Points represent the physical "ody of a living creature, (hile S D 8 represents their personal toughness In normal com"at, once all S D 8 of a creature has "een depleted, all future damage is applied to #it Points 2nce a character7s #it Points has "een reduced to <ero, they enter into a coma/ like state, "ut only die (hen their hit points is reduced to a num"er lo(er then their P A attri"ute * character can only remain conscious if they have at least one hit point, unless they have special a"ilities that change this !here are also optional rules that can "e used to determine (hat happens to a character as their #it Points are depleted, such as damage to lim"s, and these are listed in the main "ooks for most Palladium Books settings #it points are generally "ased on a person7s P A attri"ute, such as normal #umans, (hich possess a num"er of hit points e;ual to their P A attri"ute I+D6 per level of e3perience F + InitiativeH

2ne of the most important com"at terms is initiative, (hich sho(s the order in (hich characters attack in a given melee round Aach participant in a com"at rolls a t(enty/sided die, apply all "onuses to initiative, and the order of the rolls are recorded from highest to lo(est !ies are resolved in favor the participant (ith the highest in the follo(ing items, in orderH highest initiative "onus, highest P P attri"ute, and highest position in the previous melee round If there is still a tie, (hich could only occur during the first round of com"at, keep the roll, "ut have "oth players roll t(enty/sided dies, (ith no "onuses, until one roll is higher then the other 2nce the order of com"at is determined, each player can use one melee attack in order of their initiative, (ith those rolling higher going first !his continues until all melee attacks for all participants in com"at have "een used #o(ever, this means that if one participant had 6 melee attacks and another had only ,, the com"atant (ith si3 attacks (ill use their last four or five melee attacks in a ro( *lternatively, a =& could choose to use the Revised Initiative 8om"at System to determine the order in (hich the melee round (ill progress Initiative is rolled at the "eginning of com"at and is used for the entire com"at F + Enockdo(nH

*nytime that a person is knocked off their feet, such as from "eing thro(n or "y "eing hit "y a car, that person loses initiative, (hich means their initiative "ecomes one lo(er then the current, lo(est initiative value, and they lose their ne3t melee attack !his is true even if the person does not attempt to stand up after they (ere knocked do(n, (hich re;uires an additional melee action to perform F + Natural RollH

* Natural Roll is used for some special a"ilities, such as 8ritical Strikes, and re;uires that a specific roll on a t(enty/sided die "e (ithin a certain range (ithout "onuses For e3ample, a character that re;uires a natural roll of +0 or ,- in order to perform a critical strike and even through that character may have a "onus to strike of I+-, the character cannot roll a 0 and perform a critical strikeJ the character can only roll a +0 or ,- on a t(enty/sided die F + &ega/Damage 8apacityH %& D 8 '

* close relative of S D 8 and #it Points, & D 8 is used for po(erful supernatural creatures, some creatures in a magic/rich environment, and some high/tech e;uipment Aach point of & D 8 is e;uivalent to +-- points of S D 8 , so a single point of mega/damage %or & D ' (ill cause +-- points of damage against a creature (ith only S D 8 and #it Points #o(ever, (eapons that do not inflict mega/damage cannot hurt an & D 8 creature, unless other(ise stated F + &elee *ctionH

* melee action is similar to a melee attack, "ut it applies to things that are not directly related to com"at For e3ample, using a skill or moving re;uires melee actions and not melee attacks Performing a melee action re;uires spending a melee attack unless a character has "oth melee attacks and melee actions, in (hich case performing a melee action does not re;uire the use of an attack per melee unless the character has no remaining melee actions for that round !he use of this term is not favored "ecause it can lead to confusing situations a"out (hat counts as a melee attack and (hat counts as a melee action and the use of the term in pu"lished materials is not al(ays consistent Personally, I never use melee actions, I convert any "onus melee actions into "onus attacks per melee F + &elee RoundH

* &elee Round is a span of +. seconds and is the "asis for all com"at in the Palladium Books system * minute consists of four melee rounds F + ProneH

* com"atant is considered to "e prone if they are laying on the floor, such as after a fall or after having "een knocked do(n &elee attackers gain a "onus of I+ to strike the prone target, "ut attackers using ranged (eapons suffer a penalty of /, to strike the prone target * prone com"atant also suffers a penalty of /+ to strike (ith melee and ranged (eapons, unless the ranged (eapon is helped "y "racing it, such as a gun In the case of a (eapon that is helped "y "racing, the prone com"atant gains a "onus of I+ to strike It takes a melee attack for a prone character to stand up, "ut they suffer a penalty of /, to all defensive actions until their ne3t melee attack as they drop their guard to stand up F + Sneak *ttackH

* sneak attack is performed (hen the attacker or attackers attacks the defender or defenders (ithout the defenders kno(ing that the attack is a"out to take place *t this point, the attacker or attackers gain a single melee attack each "efore initiative is rolled During this attack, the defender can only use a defensive or deflection com"at action that does not re;uire the use of a melee attack to perform In addition, the defenders lose all com"at "onuses during this surprise attack During the first round follo(ing the sneak attack, roll initiative as normal, "ut place all attackers a"ove all defenders for determining the order of com"at F + Structural Damage 8apacityH %S D 8 '

!his term represents t(o things, it is the amount of normal punishment that a living creature can (ithstand "efore it "egins to lose hit points and it represents the amount of damage that an o":ect can (ithstand "efore "eing destroyed 2":ects do not normally possess hit points, instead they have S D 8 %or & D 8 in some settings', and (hen their S D 8 is reduced to <ero, the o":ect is destroyed For living creatures, S D 8 is used to sho( ho( much punishment that a person can take "efore they

"egin to suffer any serious damage Bruises and cuts and scrapes (ould all "e considered S D 8 damage, (hile deep cuts and "roken "ones (ould "e considered hit point damage Normal #umans do not possess any S D 8 "ecause they are not physically tough enough

Revised RIFTS Combat Rules

By Edward A. May

Palladium Books have long heard the complaint, from consumers and retailers alike, but little has been said about a revision to correct the malady within the game. What malady is this? Simple, it is called mega-damage. halfhearted accommodation was made in the !onversion Book, the first edition, but it was hardly sufficient. "t suggested converting all of the high tech stuff straight over to S.#.!. e$uivalents - one for one. %hat was hardly enough, because everyone believed that this stuff should still do&have more than conventional weapons and armor. We will begin by e'ploring where this error in game design began, and e'plore a possible solution to the problem.

Game History
S.D.C. & Hit Points With the original Palladium (antasy )ole-Playing *ame, Palladium differentiated between damage capacities with a system of S.#.!. and +it Points. +it Points were used for things that were living, S.#.!. was used for things that were inanimate. rmor and weapons had S.#.!. and characters had +it Points. With the introduction of later games, suddenly characters had S.#.!., representing the ability of a character to absorb non-life threatening damage. novel approach, B,%, it was made without any reference to damage inflicted by firearms or bladed weapons that should have been inflicted straight to hit points - in fact doing this was, as a rule, strictly forbidden. -eanwhile inanimate ob.ects remained S.#.!., without any difference between structure and armor strength. rmor )ating was merely a system of deciding how much of the body it protected - and a good roll always seemed to somehow bypass the armor. The Advent of e!a"Dama!e

-ega-#amage was brought into play first with the )obotech )P*, as a way of best fitting the setting. Suddenly super high-tech war machines were impervious to conventional small arms and e'plosives. /o complaints, that " am aware of, were ever made against mega-damage in this setting. "t accurately portrayed the )obotech setting from the popular -across nime series. With the introduction of )"(%S in the early 012s, many die hard Palladium fans, were shocked to see -ega#amage appear as a dominating factor in the new game. Since then it has become loved by some, but abhorred by many others. Some gamers actually refuse to play )"(%S owing to this one factor. The Solution %he only solution " could surmise is a complete dissolution of the old system in favor of a new system. " cannot possibly e'pect Palladium to address this issue professionally, because the sheer logistics of reprinting of all of their books with revised rules would hamstring Palladium financially. Perhaps if the problem would have been addressed with an early revision, then the new books could have been printed otherwise. %hus, " as a long time game master for )"(%S and other Palladium games have taken it upon myself to create a revised version of

this matter in game mechanics. 3ou may like it, you may not, but " fully intend to use it to great effect in the future in all of the ))4** games. Dama!e Ca#a$ity 3ou may call them hit points, others may call them hit dice, and others may call it what ever they will. (or simplicity0s sake, "0ve chosen the neutral name of #amage !apacity, #.!., or #. !ap. %his is the factor that will rule over all others, hit points, S.#.!., and -.#.!. alike. 5%hough these archaic terms will be used in converting the system to this new, more realistic, and more deadly system.6 character begins with the e$uivalent of his P.7., plus 8#9 per level, in #.!ap, in addition to any 5previously S.#.!.6 added from his&her :.!.!. - for a total #amage !apacity. With e'perience, this amount will continue to climb. /ew physical skills will also contribute to this total. Absorbin! Dama!e character can absorb certain types of damage fairly well, including falls, punches, kicks, and blunt attacks. :thers cannot. %o determine how much damage can be absorbed by a character, per attack, figure that 8&; of their total #amage !apacity, can be absorbed in every attack of this type. %hus a character with a total of <2 #.!ap. can absorb up to 9 points of damage for every physical punch&kick attack made against them. %his means that a character with a PS of <-8;, striking a character with <2 S.#.!. with any regular punch, most likely will not do much against this character, unless a critical strike is rolled. /ow, power punches, trained kick attacks, and super strong characters have a much better chance of doing some real damage. ttacks with bladed weapons, energy weapons, bullets, and similar - cannot be absorbed, in fact, these are e'tremely serious wounds that will continue to bleed additional damage capacity after the attack has been inflicted. /ote that supernatural creature0s attacks bypass this ability. %hus, you cannot absorb damage inflicted by a supernatural creature in this fashion. %lood &oss fter an attack has been made by blade, bullet, or anything else that punctures the skin and causes blood loss, the wound continues to bleed, inflicting 8#= damage to the character per point of penetration value past the limitations of their armor, if applicable, per minute. "f a weapon has a penetration value of four, and its target is not wearing any armor at all, it inflicts the initial damage P>,S =#= damage in blood loss for every minute thereafter. 5/aturally paramedic&first aid rolls can be used to staunch blood flow.6 Penetration Resistan$e %his is a rating that rules how resistant an ob.ect or individual is to penetration, as it0s name suggests. %his value essentially rates how hard of impacts it can take, thanks to armor protection, before the structure takes damage. -odern body armor, ?evlar and the like, have a penetration resistance of between one and five, meaning that it can resist most assault weapon attacks, but anything heavier still stands a good chance of making penetration. good way to rate high tech body armor in )"(%S is simply to make it 8&82 of the armor0s damage capacity, rounding up. %his means that a man wearing ! -8 Body rmor can be pummeled with hundreds of @.9; mm rounds from an ?-=@, since their penetration value is only a 9, though .ostled and bounced around, the armor takes virtually no damage - aside from scuffing up the paint .ob. "f a .eep with a .;2 caliber machine gun in the back pulls up though, the man wearing the ! -8 had better take cover, because it0s going to eventually punch it0s way through his armor.

+ere are some common e'amplesA Plastic -an - = +untsman - ; ,rban Warrior - 9 Bushman - 9 *ladiator - @ ! -B - ; ! -8 - C %his system makes Plastic -an a roughly good $uality suit of body armor that can resist most light damaging attacks, and has the added benefit of providing environmental protection. 7ssentially a hard-/B! suit. -eanwhile true combat types like ! -8 are efficient at stopping anything short of a ;2 caliber full metal .acket round. +owever true this may be, a rail gun would chew up most anything on a battlefield - armored or not. ,sing an )*-8= Boom *un against armored infantry would be massive overkill, like using a tank cannon on infantry. 7'tending this system over to heavier forms of armor would be appropriate as well, especially in the case of armored vehicles, armored robot vehicles, and similar. We take it for granted that they are armored to their fullest e'tent for their structure. 4ehicles not specifically designed as armored vehicles, however, like cars, trucks, semi-trucks, hovervehicles, aircraft, etc. have 8&C the normal penetration resistance. -eaning that a /ightwing with =;2 -.#.!., would have a penetration resistance of 9. %his means that an ?-=@ loaded with full metal .acket rounds could pepper that thing with damage. vehicle with this sort of protection, if it is described with a reinforced pilot0s compartment, however, has full armored protection of that area. %hus that same /ightwing with its 8;2 -.#.!. reinforced pilot0s compartment has a penetration resistance of 8; in those areas. !reatures with supernatural attributes are another matter to consider. :ne must take a couple of factors into account - their -.#.!. and the nature of this -.#.!. protection. !reatures that are soft skinned like a very human like, but nonetheless supernatural, creature will have 8&B; their -.#.!. in Penetration )esistance. %hus a creature with 822 -.#.!. now has a Penetration )esistance of =. %his means that they are impervious to most small arms fire, all the way up to a .=; !aliber round fired at point blank range. -eanwhile a creature with 8,222 -.#.!. has a Penetration )esistance of =2, which is impervious to most support and infantry level weapons. +owever, if a *litterboy with an )*-8= walks up, or a tank drives up that creature could be in danger. %hat covers creatures with soft flesh. %hen you have to consider creatures with hard protective features, like a dragon with their legendary scaly hide, or a (ury Beetle0s tough carapace. %reat this sort of protection the same way you would treat an armored vehicle - 8&82 the -.#.!. With a +atchling #ragon that winds up with B;2 -.#.!., then you wind up with a Penetration )esistance of B;. :nce that same +atchling reaches maturity in 922 years, guessing that it becomes B,;22 - penetration resistance becomes B;2D %here is very little in the books that would phase a dragon of this power, let alone the most powerful *reat +orned #ragon possible with C,222 -.#.!., which would have a P.). of C22. .D.C.'S.D.C. Conversions -.#.!. !onversions are relatively straightforward and simple, take the amount that already e'ists, and multiply it by ;. +ere are the new #amage !apacities for various structures in )"(%SA Plastic -an Body rmor - 8@;. ,rban Warrior - B;2. Bushman - <22. ! -8 - =22. S - S Power rmor - 8,B;2. 7nforcer )obot 4ehicle - 8,@;2. /ightwing ttack Eet - B,B;2.

S.#.!. !onversions are even simpler - convert them straight across 8 S.#.!. per one #amage. %hus a * W(8= with 8,C22 S.#.!. now has 8,C22 #. !ap. !omparing the (-8= to the /ightwing then, you wind up with a new age .et slightly tougher than its pre-cataclysm stable-mate, thanks to new technologies. Some ob.ects in )"(%S are inappropriately rated for this system, however, and are perhaps poorly rated even for the )"(%S game with the e'isting rules set. fter all, a battleship with a doFen serious strikes can sink, even though it hasn0t been blown completely out of the water. %hus ships like the %iconderoga with B2,222 -.#.!., that would give them 822,222 #. !ap, and a P.). of B,222. %his means that the armor is so thick that you would essentially need a full-scale nuke to do any damage to it. better system would involve a damage capacity per area. n e'ampleA %iconderogaG ,pper +ull - bove waterline 5Per 820'820 section6 - 8,B;2 #. !ap. 5P.). - B;.6 >ower +ull - Below waterline 5Per 820'820 section6 - 8,@;2 #. !ap. 5P.). - <;.6 >ower +ull - Belly 5Per 820'820 section6 - 8,222 #. !ap. 5P.). - B2.6 #eck - 5Per 820'820 section6 - B,;22 #. !ap. 5P.). - ;2.6 Weapon turrets, screws, and similar can all have fi'ed amounts of damage, but these areas should be labeled in this fashion so that it makes it apparent that although the vessel is massive, it is not a super armored .uggernaut. !arriers were never meant to duke it out with an enemy point blank, they were meant to stand off and strike with their aircraft. carrier would yield like tissue paper against missiles and large caliber cannons. "n addition to this, create a table of damages that can be inflicted or .ust use some common sense in the matter. "f the vessel is struck in the aft lower hull - then assume that one of the engine rooms are now flooding. *ive it a number of compartments that can flood without causing adverse effects, and go with it. "t makes it a lot more dramatic and realistic. /aturally, as a combat vessel, it will have provisions for pumping, repair, and such - so don0t make it unrealistically low either. " would say about two doFen good hits below the water line 58B 82'82 foot areas6 will send her to the #avie Eones locker. doFen on one side could cause her to roll. (or a total damage capacity, " would go ahead and use the 822,222 #. !ap its converted -.#.!. would provide, but use the P.).s for each separate area. Eust rule that once that much damage has been inflicted, the vessel is in serious trouble of structural failure, fires are popping up faster than damage control can counter them, and the vessel is essentially doomed. #on0t count stuff like turrets, screws, and similar against this total - .ust stuff regarding the hull0s integrity itself. !onverting supernatural creatures over is a simple conversion, .ust multiply the -.#.!. by five, and that becomes their #. !ap. Penetration (alue ll weapons have some measure of penetration value, but not all weapons are created e$ually in terms of their ability to penetrate armor. >asers are notoriously poor armor penetrators. )ail *uns are good armor penetrators due to their velocity, but P weapons are still better. Plasma is good for cooking a soldier in body armor, but is poor at penetrating the armor plate of an armored vehicle. +ere are some rules of thumb to go by when determining penetration value. %hese factors will be determined by how much -.#. the weapon inflicted prior to the conversion to the new systemA &asersG 8&< the -a'. #amage of the weapon. 5%hus a laser that inflicts B= -.#. 5=#96 will have a Penetration 4alue of CA )oughly e$uivalent to pre-cataclysm assault rifles using .P. rounds.6 /ote that ion weapons are classified within this same variety.6 Pulse lasers are a different entity entirely. Pulse lasers space their beams by microseconds to counter the diffusion that typically hampers high powered lasers as a result of vaporiFed material on the target - thus treat any bursts from a pulse laser weapon as having a penetration value based on the total burst damage. %hus an >-B2 or !P-=2, has a P.4. of 8BD PlasmaG 8&; the -a'. #amage of the weapon. 5%hus a plasma blast that inflicts 92 -.#. 58#9'826 will have a Penetration 4alue of 8BA )oughly e$uivalent to pre-cataclysm white phosphorus, if not a little better.6 Rail GunsG 8&B the -a'. #amage of the weapon. 5%hus a )ail *un that inflicts =2 -.#. 58#='826 will have a Penetration 4alue of B2D ,sing this same formula for the )*-8= Boom *un that inflicts 8C2 -.#. 5<#9'826 you wind up with a Penetration 4alue of 12, making it a true anti-armor weapon.6 Armor Pier$in! )*#losivesG %hese are specifically designed as armor penetrators, thus they have a 8 for 8

penetration value versus mega-damage. n P -ini--issile has a P.4. of =2, since it inflicts 8#='82 -.#. -eanwhile a B22 mm +.7. .%. round that does <#9'82 -.#. has a P.4. of 8C2D %his illustrates the use of having a @ ton cannon in a heavily armored turret, versus .ust having a @22H >b. )*-8= Boom *un. "t also shows the P -ini--issile to be an effective weapon against lightly armored vehicles like P!s and similar, but not much use against a main battle tank. -eanwhile a 89 inch cannon on a battleship, with a ma'imum damage of <#9'822 -.#. has a P.4. of 8,C22 - basically showing that it can inflict damage to .ust about anything it is pointed at, .ust as it should be. Parti$le %eamsG 8&B the -a'. #amage of the weapon. 5%hus a particle beam that inflicts =2 -.#. 58#='826 will have a penetration value of 8=, when rounding up.6 Particle Beams are a different entity from loose plasma cloud e'plosive blasts, they are focused and directed at a target at speeds approaching the speed of light, and do not suffer the diffusion problems lasers do. s a result their penetration values are far superior. (ibro"+ea#onsG 8&B the -a'. #amage of the weapon. 5%hus a vibro-sword that inflicts 8B -.#. 5B#96 will have a Penetration 4alue of 9.6 a!i$ %ladesG 7$ual to the -a'. #amage of the weapon. -agic weapons specific to demons, monsters, dragons, good, evil, etc. - all have the normal penetration value mentioned here against other opponents, but against the specific target type they specialiFe in, ignore the penetration resistance of that targetD %hus a point of tanks with B22 mm cannons can hammer on a =,222 -.#. dragon all day long with +.7. .%. rounds without doing much more than pissing it off. lone hero, however, with a dragon slayer sword, however, can engage and potentially defeat the beast. Conventional +ea#onsG +ere is a list of conventional weapons calibers with their appro'imate penetration values and damagesG .BB !al Pistol P.4. 8 58#96 .BB !al )ifle P.4. B 58#C6 .BB< !al 5;.;9 mm6 )ifle P.4. ; 5<#96 @.9B Pistol P.4. B 58#C6 @.9B )ifle 5<2.29 !al6 P.4. 9 5;#96 @.9; Pistol P.4. < 58#826 @.9; )ifle P.4. 9 5;#96 .<C !al Pistol 5Special6 P.4. < 5B#96 1 mm Pistol P.4. = 5B#96 .<;@ !al Pistol 5-agnum6 P.4. ; 5=#96 82 mm Pistol P.4. = 5=#96 .== !al Pistol 5-agnum6 P.4. 9 5;#96 .=; !al Pistol P.4. = 5=#96 .;2 !al Pistol P.4. 9 5;#96 .;2 !al )ifle P.4. @ 58#='826 .92 !al )ifle P.4. 1 58#9'826 .@B1 !al&8B *auge P.4. =&; 5=#9&;#96 .@@; !al&82 *auge P.4. ;&9 5;#9&9#96 .@C@ !al&B2 mm !annon P.4. 1 5 P6 5B#='826 .C<; !al&C *auge P.4. 9&@ 59#9&8#='826 8.8C !al&<2 mm !annon P.4. 8C 5 P6 5<#9'826 /oteG (rangible rounds reduce the penetration value to 8, regardless of caliber, but doubles the damage to soft targets - like unarmored humans. (ull metal .acket variants increase the penetration value by B. Su#ernatural CreaturesG ttacks from these creatures are the big I-(actor in setting up this system. ssume that the penetration value of the hand to hand attacks made by a supernatural creature are e$ual to his&her penetration resistance. %his means that a *reat +orned #ragon +atchling, with =;2 -.#.! prior to conversion, has a P.4. to all of his&her hand to hand attacks of =;D -eanwhile an adult ice dragon with =,222 -.#.!. prior to conversion has a P.4. to all of his&her hand to hand attacks of =22D %his effect is purely mystical, and does not mean that the attacks do any more damage than the listed conversion, it0s .ust that it somehow effects much stronger armor than it technically should. %his is actually a system that makes sense, as supernatural creatures often have hierarchies that are based around the strongest&toughest member of a group, as is the case with *argoyles. +atchling dragons will /747) in their right mind attempt to tangle with an adult. #emons tend to be e'tremely subservient to greater demons. %his all e'plains those reasons $uite well - with the -.#.!. system as it was previously, if a lesser demon got really lucky, it could essentially defeat a much tougher demon. With this system an lu #emon would never even consider bucking up against a *allu #emon Bull, because he0d mop the floor with him and come out - basically, unscathed.

.D. +ea#on Conversion Table, %his system is fairly simple to convertA 8#= -.#. J ;#= #mg. 8#9 -.#. J ;#9 #mg. B#= -.#. J 8#='82 #mg. B#9 -.#. J 8#9'82 #mg. =#= -.#. J B#='82 #mg. <#9 -.#. J B#='82H82 #mg. ;#= -.#. J 8#82'82 #mg. 5or B#='82HB26 =#9 -.#. J B#9'82 #mg. ;#9 -.#. J =#='82 #mg. 9#9 -.#. J <#9'82 #mg. 8#='82 -.#. J ;#='82 #mg. 8#9'82 -.#. J ;#9'82 #mg. B#='82 -.#. J 8#='822 #mg. B#9'82 -.#. J 8#9'822 #mg. =#='82 -.#. J B#='822 #mg. <#9'82 -.#. J B#='822H822 #mg. ;#='82 -.#. J 8#82'822 #mg. =#9'82 -.#. J B#9'822 #mg. ;#9'82 -.#. J =#='822 #mg. 9#9'82 -.#. J <#9'822 #mg. 8#='822 -.#. J ;#='8,222 #mg. 8#9'822 -.#. J ;#9'8,222 #mg. Su#ernatural Dama!e Conversion Table, %he damages listed in the *-* had to be ad.usted somewhat to fit the new system a bit more ade$uately. PSG 8; or >essG )estrained PunchG B#9, (ull Strength Punch&?ickG =#9, Power PunchG 8#='82. PSG 89-B2G )estrained PunchG <#9, (ull Strength Punch&?ickG ;#9, Power PunchG 8#9'82. PSG B8-B;G )estrained PunchG <#9, (ull Strength Punch&?ickG 8#9'82, Power PunchG B#='82. PSG B9-<2G )estrained PunchG =#9, (ull Strength Punch&?ickG B#='82H82, Power PunchG =#='82HB2. PSG <8-<;G )estrained PunchG ;#9, (ull Strength Punch&?ickG B#9'82, Power PunchG =#9'82. PSG <9-=2G )estrained PunchG 9#9, (ull Strength Punch&?ickG =#='82, Power PunchG ;#9'82HB2. PSG =8-;2G )estrained PunchG 8#='82, (ull Strength Punch&?ickG <#9'82, Power PunchG 9#9'82. PSG ;8-92G )estrained PunchG 8#9'82, (ull Strength Punch&?ickG ;#9'82, Power PunchG 8#9'822. PSG 98-@2G )estrained PunchG B#='82, (ull Strength Punch&?ickG 8#='822, Power PunchG B#='822. PSG @8-C2G )estrained PunchG B#9'82, (ull Strength Punch&?ickG 8#9'822, Power PunchG B#9'822. PSG C8-12G )estrained PunchG <#9'82, (ull Strength Punch&?ickG B#='822, Power PunchG =#='822. PSG 18-822G )estrained PunchG =#9'82, (ull Strength Punch&?ickG B#='822H822, Power PunchG =#='822HB22. Con$lusion %his new system of modifications will allow )"(%S to have a more balanced feel to it, so that tanks cannot be taken out by infantrymen leveling a platoon siFed barrage of laser fire against it, in less than five seconds. %actics might allow them to disable a tank tread, dump a grenade down a cannon barrel, or even to blast through the hatches leading to the soft and fleshy crew inside - but that takes serious work and strategy, something seen far too infre$uently than it should be in any game. "t also makes it so that supernatural creatures of immense power are indeed something to be feared. What " liked about the weapon0s conversions was that it made it so that an infantryman could take out another infantryman relatively well, with the right e$uipment, but against a suit of power armor - he would be ne't to powerless. " also like how the penetration values of certain weapons begin to illustrate their purposes a little better than the previous system. n P -ini--issile was about the most redundant e'ample " could think

of in the previous system. " know my players >W 3S opted for plasma mini-missiles if given the option. /ow, you see that plasma is good for certain things, but not so good for others. "t can fry a guy in body armor, and it will utterly annihilate anything that is poorly armored, yet against armored vehicles it0s .ust an e'pensive pyrotechnic show. -eanwhile the P -ini sucks for anti-infantry operations, given its small blast radius, yet against armor it can put serious hurt on these. ccording to Spirit West, the !-=2) was a lightweight and less e'pensive alternative to the ,S --<8, the rail gun intended for the S - S by the ,S *overnment. %his rule shows the !-=2) to be e'cellent as an antiinfantry weapon, but a piece of .unk when bucking up against real armor. "t show0s the S - S0s entire purpose as being a heavyweight bruiser meant to support infantry against infantry, rather than as a high speed and agile armor-busting dynamo. +eavy combat calls for heavy weaponry - plain and simple. %he ,S --<8 described in Spirit West does 8#9'82 -.#. which would give it a P.4. of <2, more than enough to effect a suit of armor like the S - S, which was the standard for the time. %here again, it fits the setting, yet against even something like the P! 4 - it is not enough to really do more than scuff up the paint .ob. What " also like about this system is that it makes it easier to support the idea of energy weapons in addition to conventional firearms. !onventional firearms have long been complained about, in )"(%S, as useless. %hey have *)7 % value in this system, because they are cheap, easy to produce, and the true assault models with the right accessories&ammunition are reasonably effective against all but the heaviest armored infantry. While this system will prove to be a challenge to integrate at first, it will probably improve the combat setting all around to have a lot more shell shock value to it that was strongly lacking in the )"(%S system. t last - characters will avoid diving into a pitched battle against powerful adversaries, and even if they do, they will have to work for every inch they might gain. Written by Edward A. May, RRVGG, 2005, based upon the RI !"# R$G, produ%ed by $a&&adiu' Boo(s#.

Combat Rules -uestions

Back to the Fan F*M Inde3

1. I have a question regarding strike, parry, and dodge bonuses. When Striking, dodging or parrying a modern weapon, does the character receive their P.P. bonuses. For examp e i! a character has the Ski W.P. "nergy #i! e do they receive their P.P. bonus on top o! the $% to an aimed shot and the $1 to a burst& 'nswer( P.P. Bonuses and Hand to hand combat bonuses do not apply to modern weapons.

). I be ieve that you shou d have some ru e about ca ed shots !or Pa adium Fantasy. 'nswer( The Called Shot rules for Rifts (Rifts RPG, p . !"#!$% may be adapted for the Palladium RPG system. &f you do not ha'e Rifts, to do a called shot you need to state what you are doin before rollin to stri(e, then the G) may apply a penalty to the stri(e roll based on difficulty of the called shot. *lso you must then roll $+ or better to hit the called tar et, rollin below $+ will result in stri(in the main body.

%. #*F standard denotes no possibi ity o! bursts or sprays, right& 'nswer( Rate of ,ire- Standard means that the weapon is capable of firin sin le shots (aimed or wild%, and is capable of firin bursts only if the weapon description states it can fire bursts. ,or e.ample a /il(0s !12 Pulse rifle is capable of firin a sin le shot or a pulse burst (3 shot burst%.

+. What is a me ee attack& ,ow much time approx. is one& -ou d a .in/a 0uicer 1or /ust a 2ystic .in/a3 draw his sword and strike in one attack& 'nswer( * melee attac( is an action durin a melee round. )elee rounds are $1 seconds lon 4 durin that time, characters can perform ! or 1 actions. 5rawin a sword is one action and stri(in is a second action.

4. Wou d a WP ski be needed to get a bonus using 5W weapons& 'nswer( 6es, the appropriate /.P. will i'e a bonus to T/ /eapons.

6. 5he .7SS conversion ru es !or ,eroes seems to be much di!!erent in regards to the suggestions given in ,eroes ). What wou d a good guide ine be !or a owing ,eroes characters to have .7SS martia arts& Shou d I continue to use the ru es !ound in the back o! .7SS& 'nswer( 6ou, should use the rules as found in Heroes 7nlimited +nd for any con'ersions from 8in9as : Superspies.

8. 9o a P- rea y start with ) actions per me ee round p us any gained !rom ,and to ,and and *.-.-. bonuses& ' so does this app y to /ust a !ew o! Pa adium games or a o! them& 'nswer( 6es, the + actions per melee round applies to all PC and its for all the ames. This rule has not always been applied to 8PC.

:. 're there any ru es on vehic e vs. character combat& 1i.e. a character with sonic ! ight vs. a 5ar ok !ighter&3 'nswer( ;ehicle to Pedestrian combat is mentioned in Heroes 7nlimited and 8in9as and Superspies in the 'ehicle combat section. ,or characters capable of aerial combat, Combat maneu'ers similar to the aircraft maneu'ers may be possible, and if you wish a s(ill percenta e may be assi ned to characters with natural fli ht for maneu'erin (P.P. . ! is reasonable to determine the base percenta e%. alternati'ely, if you ha'e access to Turtles Guide to the 7ni'erse, you could replace the aerial combat rules in Heroes 7nlimited etc, with the Rules found there, incorporatin T),.

;. I am a bit con!used on this autododge issue. <onuses !or norma dodge are !or dodging during your ,to, combat. I! you run out o! attacks, you may sti dodge or parry with autododge=parry and the bonuses o! autododge on y app y to when your

me ee actions=attacks are used up. -orrect& What about the >ittani serpent power armor, how does that work with having norma dodge and auto dodge bonuses& 'nswer( 6ou can use the auto dod e whene'er you want in place of a parry without spendin any additional attac(s<actions to do so. Bonuses from *uto#5od e come from the P.P. dod e bonus (if any%, and any bonuses to auto dod e. This enerally means your auto# dod e bonuses are less that normal dod e bonuses, so you may elect to auto dod e and use a smaller bonus, or do a normal dod e with hi her bonuses (but usin a attac(<action%. ,or the serpent Power *rmour, the only bonuses to the automatic dod e, are from the armour<trainin , and P.P. bonuses (other normal dod e bonuses do not apply%.

1?. *k, I want to do a arge sca e war, such as two merc companies going at it. I a so want to be ab e to draw or map out the tactics o! everyone. ,ow wou d you suggest I go about that, I thought about using miniatures and I !ee that is about the best way. <ut I a so want to know what your suggestion wou d be about this and how I wou d go about the ki s !or the .P-s whether it be a 1 !or 1 situation or actua y ro the dice !or each .P-& 'nswer( =ither miniatures or 9ust wa e an abstracted combat where a sin le roll determines a eneral trend of battle. Rollin for each 8PC could pro'e cumbersome so you may wish to combine thin s a bit.

11. #u es !or burst says that short ones takes )?@ o! the "Ac ips and does damage x). Pump pisto 15riax 5BA43 has a pay oad o! 4 and a ows burst 1rate o! !ire std3. So i! I opt to have a short burst it wou d take 1 bu et and do doub e damage. 'nswer( Pump weapons due to their desi n cannot fire bursts. The rules for shot uns apply, and since it is pump action this would be sin le shot only. * note for Bursts- * burst will use a minimum of + rounds.

1). -an a person or any being in #i!ts dodge an attack !rom an energy=rai =pro/ecti e weapon& 'nswer( &ts #$" to 5od e at ran es under !"" feet and #> to 5od e when o'er 1"" feet. &f the PC spends the entire round dod in forfitin all dod es then it0s a #? to 5od e.

1%. ,ow many times can a character parry& -an 0ohn parry1automatic3 an attack !rom bi and mike and sti have his attack to use& 'nswer( * character can parry e@ual to their number of attac(s (actions% per melee round. &f they ha'e automatic parry then can also still attac(.

1+. 9oes ro ing with a punch take an attack !rom the de!ending character& 'nd i! so, does it take his very next attack, eaving him on the de!ensive !or his attackerCs next strike& *r does the ost attack=action come o!! the de!enderCs tota number o! attacks, etting him counter strike& 'nswer( &t does count as a action. (you could say reco'erin from the blow<impact% and does ta(e the ne.t attac(.

14. When it states that Dthe victim oses initiative and one attackD, does this mean that he oses his very next attack& *r /ust one !rom his tota & 'nd what about when it says the victim oses an attack, but it says nothing about initiative& 'nswer( AThe 'ictim loses initiati'e and one attac(A, means that the 'ery ne.t attac( is lost, and the characters future actions in this melee round will occur last. &f they lose a attac(, but do not lose initiati'e, they lose their ne.t scheduled action, but if they still ha'e attac(s<actions left they will occur in their normal position.

16. 9oes a P.P. bonus add to the strike when using a bow or crossbow& I never thought that it did, but in the new PF#PE, there is one paragraph about modern weapon pro!iciencies, where it says that you do. -ou d you c ear this up !or me& 'nswer( The P.P. stri(e bonus is not applied when usin a bow or crossbow.

18. When an 29- character is stabbed or pierced with and 29- weapon do they b eed and i! so shou d you app y b ood oss pena ties& 'nswer( * )5C character in your e.ample would bleed and blood loss penalties should be applied. Those creatures with Bio#re enerati'e powers, or healin factor will soon ha'e their wounds close up, stoppin any further dama e from Blood Boss.

1:. I am having a prob em in that someone is saying since w.p. paired weapons was not in the #i!ts book it is not a va id ski . 'nswer( /.P. Paired /eapons ultimately appeared in Rifts- /arlords of Russia so it is now officially a s(ill for the Rifts system.

1;. 9oes the dodge ro needs to be higher or /ust equa to the attack ro to be e!!ective& 'nswer( Ties fa'or defenders.

)?. 9oes the bonuses to strike !rom P' combat training app y to missi e weapons 1eg, the S'2'S rai gun3 or /ust !or me ee& 'nswer( Cust for melee attac(s.

)1. What do you suggest doing when one character has much more attacks then a other& 9oes he /ust keep shooting, with nobody e se ab e to dodge, run away or anything e se& 'nswer( 6es, the PC still has actions and can use them to attac(. &f the 8PC or PC ha'e autodod e and autoparry they still can be used.

)). I! you are wearing 29- 'rmor and get punched by a 29- punch do you take any

sdc damage. 5he reason that I ask this is because one o! my gamers got kicked by a demon, ! ew a good 4?!t and !e a good 1??!t o!! a sma c i!!. ,is armor took the 29o! the kick but what about the rest&F 'nswer( 6es, dama e would be inflicted. ,i ure that if a )#?" tan( (a )5C 'ehicle% dro'e off a cliff, its dri'er would still suffer from the impact (which is S5C based%. The rules for this are on pa e $+ of the Rifts )ain Boo( under APhysical 5ama e /hile &nside a ).5.C. Structure.A

)%. When a character changes occCs their o d ski s no onger advance right& We what about ,and to ,and ski s i! their new occ gives them , to , or i! they spend the ski s to get it. 9oes it advance when they do in eve or on y when they advance past their o d eve !rom the !irst occ& 'nswer( &t oes up as they ad'ance in there new character class and does not ha'e to wait till they pass the le'el of their old character class.

)+. I! a mage has % eve s in one occ and + eve s in another what is their eve when it comes to spe strength and !or spe s that base damage on eve & 'nswer( &f a certain spell is only applicable to one of the DCC0s, then use that as your base le'el. &f it is applicable to both DCCs, use the hi her le'el.

)4. 9o characters with supernatura PS add their bonus to 29 weapon attacks 1vibro knives3& I want to know whether the PS damage bonus is added to a o! the 29 weapon attacks regard ess or on y those speci!ica y stated& 'nswer( The P.S. dama e bonus only applies if there is a physical component li(e a 'ibro# blade, rune weapon or T/ weapon for e.ample. ,or ener y, ma ic or psionic weapons li(e ,lamin Swords and Psi#Swords there is no P.S. dama e bonus.

)6. What i! a character with supernatura PS earns a martia art which o!!ers unique moves with a set damage. 5wo examp es( a3 ,t, -ommandoA 5he automatic throw=! ipA d6 S9- damageA What wou d a supernatura character in! ict& b3 >arate=.in/itsu=etcA 5ake some o! the specia kicks 1i.e. roundhouse, hook kick=etc3A 5hese a have preset damage but I am uncertain what a supernatura character 1i.e 0apanese god ing3 wou d in! ict. 'nswer( 7nless they are specifically eared toward )5C, the dama e would be unchan ed.

)8. 9oes PP give any additiona p uses to initiative !or the p ayer character& 'nswer( There is a accumulati'e E$ at a P.P. of 33, 3?, 3F, !+, !1, !> but stops at !> with a bonus of E?.

):. 2issi es and miniAmissi es a have a b ast radius, and they a hit the main body. I! the main body takes a sixty point hit do the other ocations 1 ike the head3 take the

thirty points !rom the b ast area& 'nd what about b ow through& ' Cboom gunC does %96x1? damage, to a suit o! deadAboy armour this gives 1? to 1%? points o! wasted damage. 'nswer( ,or missile combat, we ha'e deliberately (ept it simple so the answer is no only the main body ta(es dama e. There is li(ewise no rules for blow throu h. &f the G) wants to ma(e it more realistic (and more complicated% for his indi'idual campai n, he is free to modify the rules.

);. What is the maximum number o! hand to hand actions a character can have& 'nswer( There is no ma.imum (other than what the G) will allow%.

%?. 9oes the boxing ski add an attack at a times or /ust during me ee that doesnCt invo ve missi e weapons& 'nswer( Dnly durin melee weapons combat it does not apply to any form of ran ed combat.

%1. I have question about damage !rom hand to hand attacks. ICm a E2 and wou d /ust ike to know about the supernatura strength in .ightbane. *ne o! my p ayers has a PS o! %; equa ing a $)+ S.9.-. Is this what is added to damage !rom say a sword strike& 'nswer( 6ou, would add the E+! S5C dama e, as well as the punch dama e from supernatural P.S.(in this case ?5? S5C%. So if usin a sword that inflicts +5? S5C dama e, a total of >5?E+! S5C dama e is inflicted in 8i htbane.

%). I have a question about attributes over the tab e in the #i!ts book. 're there any bonuses gained !rom stats over %?& 'nswer( 6es, they can be found in the Rifts G) Guide on pa e +!.

%%. I! a character is riding a mount that gets attacks o! its own 1 ike a Simvan on an *strosaur3, does the P- have to expend a me ee action=attack, in the !orm o! a success!u horsemanship ski ro , to goad the beast into doing so, or wi it do so comp ete y independent o! the rider, other conditions 1range and accessibi ity o! targets, etc.3 permitting& Wou d a horsemanship ski ro be necessary to keep !rom !a ing o!! the mount as it reared to attack& 'nswer( The rider would 8DT ha'e to e.pend his own actions #the mount would et to attac( independently. Howe'er, unless he is 'ery well trained with that specific steed, a rider will ha'e to roll 's. horsemanship to (eep from fallin off.

%+. I! some one tries to strike you and makes it past your '# but you dodge doeCs it sti strike& 'nswer( * successful dod e totally e'ades the stri(e re ardless of the attac( roll.

%4. With something with an '# o! 4 wou d it work ike this 1A+ miss, a 4 wou d hit the '# and 6$ wou d hit bypassing the '#& 'nswer( 6es, that is correct.

%6. In combat i! two characters are !ighting and running towards a destination, and both characters had the same speed but di!!erent number o! attacks, by the system the person with the ower number o! attacks wou d reach the destination !irst. Is there an optiona ru e in the system somewhere that wou d hand e this situation with more rea ism& 'nswer( Thou h the characters may mo'e different amounts per attac(, barin any distractions both characters will mo'e the same distance o'er the same amount of time. (combat actions are abstract as to when they occur in combat%. Howe'er, if mo'in and actin at the same time, a character with more attac(s will be able to co'er a reater distance than a character with less attac(s, if doin similar actions.

%8. I cannot !ind a mecha combat !or the spider sku wa ker, shou dnCt there be one& 'nswer( The Spider S(ull /al(er uses the General Robot Combat Basic and =lite.

%:. 9oes a power punch a ways take up two attacks& 1Sometimes it doesnCt say that3 'nswer( 6es, unless its specifically stated as doin less or more.

%;. When it says hand to hand basic is 1ri!ts is what I p ay by the way3 that a catch a & So even !armers have basic& 'nswer( Basic hand to hand trainin , is 9ust that, basic trainin in combat. 8ot e'eryone would ha'e combat trainin . /ilderness fol( would probably ha'e hand to hand basic, but many people would ha'e no hand to hand trainin at all.

+?. In your atest book !rom ,eroes you stated a W.P. !or rai guns and heavy asersA were are they mentioned and do you know anything about the heavy asers& 'nswer( They are not described in the H7+ main boo(, but certain hero cate ories (aliens, bionics, and robots% can ha'e these hi h tech ener y weapon systems. These systems are described in those cate ories. the Supplements *liens 7nlimited and ;illains 7nlimited ha'e more of these cate ories of weapons.

+1. I! I have #obot -ombat(" ite what ski do I get automatica y& Is it #obot -ombat(<asic and=or Pi ot( #obots and Power 'rmor& 'nswer( 6ou recei'e Robot Combat Basic

+). 9o I have to choose #obot -ombat( " ite !or every #obot or Power 'rmor I want to pi ot& *ne !or S'2'S and another one !or F ying 5itan. *r /ust !or the type o!

Gehic e& *ne !or Power 'rmors and another one !or #obots& 'nswer( 6ou select Robot Combat =lite for each and e'ery type of Robot you want elite trainin in so you would ha'e + pic(s for the S*)*S and ,lyin titan, all other robot and power armour would recei'e Robot Combat Basic

+%. ' Person with Pi ot( #obots and Power 'rmor, pi ots the Spider Sku Wa ker and his comrade with the Weapon System ski , contro s the weapons& 9o they have !u e!!ectiveness& *r must they posses the ski #obot -ombat in order to engage in combat& 'nswer( They do not need Robot Combat to pilot a robot into battle, if they do not ha'e it, they pilot it a minimum effecti'eness in combat. Dnly hand to hand trainin bonuses apply.

++. ' #i!ts question( 9oes the paired weapons bonus=ski a character receives at 8th eve !or handAtoAhand expert=martia arts work !or range weapons ike pisto s and ri! es& 'nswer( &t only wor(s for hand to hand weapons.

+4. What is the imit to the number o! martia arts !orms you can get In nin/as and superspies& -an you /ust train to get di!!erent ones& 'nswer( &n Re'ised 8in9as and Superspies most D.C.C.0s can only select Dne form while others can select two initially. Bearnin additional martial arts is possible, but you would ha'e to spend se'eral years (the time to learn% in trainin in the new martial art form, 9ust to achie'e le'el $ proficiency, and is not recommended for be innin characters. &t is li(e learnin new s(ills as outlined in Heroes 7nlimited.

+6. 5he -ockroach in 'ustrai ia, technica y, cou d have a PS o! Supernatura )8?. I was wondering what kind o! damage this does. 'nswer( The latest Supernatural PS dama e tables o up to 2" in )ystic Russia. ,or e'ery $" points of P.S. beyond 2" add $" ).5. to the dama e inflicted per standard punch.

+8. I had a game where I had a character get koCd in the water. I was wonder i! there is some kind o! 9rowning 9amage 5ab e or=i! not what shou d I have the character ro !or damage. 'nswer( There is no table as such for drownin . &f a character is unconscious, they will suffer immediate effects from drownin , includin the lun s fillin with water. 7nless immediate life sa'in treatment (first *id% is pro'ided, the character will slip into a coma (,irst *id should be used%. Prolon ed e.posure underwater will result in more serious medical treatment bein re@uired to re'i'e the character.

+:. ,ow does the oneA!inger attack o! the snake sty e kung !u work, exact y& Is it %d6 direct y to hit points or is there a variety o! e!!ects you can choose !rom& 'nswer( The one fin er#tip attac( is used to deli'er chi stri(es, usin the 'arious forms of

Chi )astery abilities includin Dne ,in er Chi, of direct Chi *ttac(s.

+;. I wanted to know i! a cosmo knight can damage a vampire through a punch, cosmic b ast, or, cosmic weapon& 'nswer( There weapons and natural dama e is considered supernatural, so they can inflict dama e to 'ampires.

4?. *n page :4 o! .in/as and Superspies eve 6 o! the 'ikido eve advancement tab e, it says D<ody F ip does )d6 extra damage !rom now onD 9oes this mean that the throw does )d6 damage or )d6 in addition to the origina damage o! 1d6 1making the new damage %d6 on every body ! ip3& 'nswer( Correct it does 35? dama e.

41. *kay hereCs the situation a Spartan decides to !ire 1 vo ey o! 11 missi es per arm. !or a tota o! )) missi es. this wou d take up ) attacks and ) Dto strikeD ro s wou d be made !or shooting wi d. but the )) missi es wou d be !ired simu taneous y am I right on a this or is it a i ega & 'nswer( ;olleys do not ha'e to be fired wild... you cannot do a dual stri(e usin + $$ missile 'olleys. instead it would be + attac(s, firin a 'olley each attac(

4). 9o you know how much ppe it takes !or a chi 29 death b ow in the 0apan book. 'nswer( The Chi 5eath Blow costs the same as the Palladins 5emon 5eath Blow from Palladium ,antasy. The Palladin0s 5emon 5eath Blow uses up 35? P.P.=. (roll 35? and subtract from the Palladin0s P.P.=. reser'e%.

4%. I was wandering i! someone has a supernatura strength o! 4+ is the damage bonus sdc or mdc since a restrained punch sti does mdc damage 'nswer( The dama e bonus remains S5C.

4+. -an you p ease give me a summary o! some DstandardD !orms o! damage( !ire 1norma !ires3, !a ing 1damage per yard&3, asphyxiation=drowning. 'nswer( 5ama e from fallin is $5? per $" foot fallen. 5ama e from fire 'aries from $ sin le point to $5? to torches to 1#?5? for enterin a house fire dependin on the siGe, and intensity of the fire. There is no dama e from asphy.iation<drownin , it has other effects that can put the character into a coma or result in death.

44. In coa ition war campaign, under the ,and to ,and( -ommando ski there is a b ooper. 't third eve you receive $1 to automatic body ! ip, suggesting that you have the automatic body ! ip abi ity, but at eve 1+ you receive automatic body ! ip=throw. WhatCs going on here& Which is right& 'nswer( &t should read E$ Body ,lip<Throw not E$ to automatic body flip. at le'el $!.

46. In the #obotech #PE, does the pi ot add his hand to hand ski bonuses to the Geritech when it is in Euardian or 0et modes& I wou d think not !or 0et mode, but I am not sure. ' so, does the pi ot get to add in his P.P. bonuses 1!or strike, parry, and dodge3 when ! ying a Geritech in 0et mode& 9oes the P.P. bonus add when pi oting other vehic es& 'nswer( &t applies in all modes, but is only for hand to hand combat includin dod es.

48. Suppose two chi masters were ocked in batt e, one using positive chi ski s1'kido3, and the other using negative chi ski s1Snake Sty e3. 5he negative master un eashes a chi attack that the positive master !ai s to de!end we enough against, causing the 'kido master to become in!ected with )? points o! negative chi. Wi the goodAa igned, positive chi master be ab e to HaccessH and HuseH the )? negative points o! chi to power neutra chi ski s, ike hardened chi, or does the negative chi in!ection nu i!y a o! their powers1because they were not trained to use negative chi3& 'nswer( 6es they can use ne ati'e Chi to power 8eutral Chi S(ills.

4:. 're there any o!!icia ru es regarding damage caused !rom using a garrote& 1 a weapon used to strang e 3 I! not, what wou d be a reasonab e suggestion. 'nswer( There are some unofficial su estions in Rifter H$ under the 8ew Roman Republic.

4;. What are the pena ty !or characters using ) "nergy Pisto s !or examp e the ambidextrous Iuick F ex ' iens. 'nswer( There are no penalties as such. * weapon may be fired<used in each hand, but they are not able to do simultaneous firin of both weapons at once (unless a unfi hter or other /estern DCC%.

6?. Is it possib e to knock someone=something with the boxing ski whi e wie ding a weapon, say a short sword, or is it something that can on y be done with !ists. 'nswer( The (noc(out stun attac(s from bo.in are considered to be from hand stri(es. Df course punchin can still be done while holdin a sword ((nuc(le# duster<brass (nuc(les%, and if not bein descripti'e in combat you mi ht rule that instead of hittin with the sword you punched them.

61. When a character who has a mi ennium tree weapon or other such item that wou d in! ict 2egaA9amage upon a vampire who has hit points, wou d it sti in! ict the 2egaA9amage or wou d it in! ict hit point damage& 'nswer( &t is con'erted to Hit Points dama e to ;ampires.

6). I have your new ri!ter J8. In there is a new ski ca ed anticipation. 'nd the way the description o! it goes, it sounds ike no matter what as ong as you get a + or higher you hit and they donCt. So cou d you p ease c ear this up and te me exact y how it works and give me at east ) examp es o! it. 'nswer( That is how it wor(s, normally with a simultaneous attac(, there is no chance to e'ade the blows bein dealt. This s(ill allows you to stri(e first in a simultaneous attac( and stops them from attac(in bac(, its ne ati'e is the loss of power and the minimal dama e (no P.S. bonus% inflicted.

6%. I! .orma strength and Supernatura strength have damage tab es, then why not extraordinary and Superhuman strength& 'nswer( There are notes for e.traordinary and superhuman stren th in the Rifts G) Guide on pa e +! under the AA*u mentedA Humans (Cuicers : CraGies%, )utants, Cybor s : =.os(eletonsA section.

6+. 2y !riends and I recent y had an argument about paired weapons in the !antasy #PE. 2y !riend says that i! I take W.P. Sword, W.P. -hain and W.P. Paired then I must choose either sword or chain to go with paired. ,e says I cannot use both chain weapons and swords paired but I can use either /ust sword or /ust chain. So what I am trying to say is that wou d W.P. Paired become W.P. Paired Sword or whatever W.P. I wanted to combine with paired. 'nswer( 6ou can combine different weapons with /.P. Paired, i.e. Sword and Shield, )ace and Sword etc.

64. I! you have a -osmo knight with !our arms that has a cosmic b ast doing 1d6B1?. -an he !ire the b ast with a arms causing +96B1? damage or are they a separate attacks. 'nswer( They would be separate attac(s.

66. I! a -yberknight !rom ri!ts was dropped in the wor d o! nin/as in superspies, wou d he be ab e to earn martia arts& 'nswer( &t is up to the indi'idual G), and remember, they do ta(e time to learn and the character would be out of action for that period of time learnin .

68. Wou d 9im 2ak a!!ect creatures o! pure negative chi& 1I am inc ined to think so as 9im 2ak is not a negative chi attack, but rather an attack on a creatureCs abi ity to regenerate chi 1either positive or negative3 'nswer( 6es, they would be affected by 5im )a(, howe'er they must be in solid form to be effected. 8ote many of the upper echelons demons, and the yama (in s would (now possible cures for 5im )a(, or mi ht be immune to it.

6:. 're there any types o! creatures that are immune to 'temi abi ities&

'nswer( )any creatures will not be affected by atemi abilities unless they ha'e been studied e.tensi'ely, and the martial artist (nows their wea( points (con'entional trainin enerally applies to humans, and must humanoids%.

6;. Is there any ru es !or combat between moving vehic es1especia y aircra!t3& Wou d a pi ot have to use attacks to turn the p ane around, i! so how many& 'nswer( ;ehicular combat can be found in 8in9as and Superspies or Heroes 7nlimited.

8?. -an a wo !en or ogre siKe character use sing e handed human siKe weapons in the Pa adium Fantasy #PE& 'nswer( 6es they can, thou ht it mi ht be a bit aw(ward to use dependin on the weapon.

81. Wou d any o! the WPs app y to a sack !u o! doorknobs b unt, ! ai & 'nswer( 8ormally blunt, but if plenty of slac( is pro'ided then /.P. Chain would apply.

8). When you !ire a vo ey o! missi es do you ro to hit !or each missi e or do you ro once and mu tip y the damage by the amount o! missi es !ired in that vo ey& 'nswer( 6ou roll once to hit for the entire 'olley. ,or dama e you may roll for one missile and multiply by the number of missiles in the 'olley, or roll each dama e separately.

8%. In .in/as 7 Superspies it says that .in/itsu counts as both your primary 7 secondary martia arts !orms. I! that is true, then how cou d you take the martia arts it ists as getting reduced time to master i! your primary martia art is .in/itsu& 'nswer( The earlier printin of 8in9as and Superspies allowed a dedicated martial artist to ha'e 3 forms. *lso it is possible to learn additional forms later on in life.

8+. ,ow does the #ahuA2an do 29 punches without Supernatura Strength& 'nswer( SiGe, and Bul(.

84. I! a P- has $4 to strike, !or examp e, and he is trying to hit a sma and di!!icu t target 1 ets say at A%3, then is is modi!ied bonus to strike $), or do i e iminate the bonus entire y, and then take away the minus, making him have a tota o! A%& 'nswer( 7nless otherwise stated, ta(e the penalty away from the bonus. &n the abo'e case it would be a E+ bonus to hit.

86. I! you have a titan 0uicer an S.9.-. being, with over 1,??? S.9.-. and he is shot in the head with a sniper ri! e doing 19+B1?, and a +? is ro ed '.9 a )? to strike is a so ro ed !or a damage rating o! :? S.9.-. whou d he 1 5he 0uicer 3 die& 'nswer( &f oin by the numbers, he will not die. 7sin the rules form the compendium of contemporary weapons, a Cuicer would ha'e +!" S5C for the head and the bullet will do

.$ for a raGe .+ for a head shot .! for a brain shot (5irect to Hit Points% * Critical stri(e would double this dama e So a standard head shot doin !" points dama e, and on a critical stri(e will deal $?" S5C dama e to the Cuicer. 8ot enou h to (ill, but seriously wound. Blood Boss will still be hi h, and if unattended the Cuicer will die soon (? per minute from the hi h calibre bullet direct to hit points% if not treated.

88. Initiative and 'ttacks( I! a character with + attacks wins initiative, does he=she take a o! those attacks be!ore the next character has an opportunity to act& *r do characters 7 .P-s take it in turns to have one action a!ter another unti everyone has runAout o! attacks& 'nswer( They ta(e it in turns until they run out of attac(s &.=. ! people are fi htin *, B, C, 5. * C and 5 ha'e ! attac(s each, while B has 1 attac(s per melee. They o in the followin order *, B, C, 5 (based on their initiati'e role so the attac(s (presumin no dod es occur will o li(e this%. *ction $- *, B, C, 5 *ction +- *, B, C, 5 *ction 3- *, B, C, 5 *ction !- *, B, C, 5 *ction 1- B

8:. ,ow is it that '# works, ICve read it a coup e o! times but I sti canCt !igure it out. 'nswer( There are two types of *.R. 8atural *.R. and *rtificial *.R. /ith 8atural *.R. any roll abo'e the *.R. hits, and any Roll below the *.R. misses or bounces off doin no dama e. /ith *rtificial *.R. any roll abo'e the *.R. penetrates doin full dama e to the person<sub9ect wearin the armour, any stri(e roll that hits but is e@ual to the *.R. or less will do dama e to the armour. Please note, natural *R may be found on many animals, and is common to 'ehicles, and Robots (H7 settin %. *rtificial *.R. is common to body armour.

8;. 2y question is one pertaining to your Pa adium Fantasy #o e P aying Eame and speci!ica y to the magic combat section. It states that two spe s o! eve s 1A: can be cast per me ee round 114 seconds3. 2y question is can the character casting the spe ab e to on y cast one spe and then take some other action such as me ee attack, move around or some other basic me ee action or does that character a owed on y those two spe as his action. ,ow does it compare in time ratio with that characters hand to hand&9oes one spe equa one attack or is it di!!erent. 'nswer( 6es, you can combine spell castin with normal actions. Since low le'els spells can be cast two per melee, each spell cast will ta(e $<+ the characters attac(s. &.e. a /iGard has ! attac(s<actions per melee round, with that they can do the followin + Spells per )elee Round ! *ctions per )elee Round $ Spell and + *ctions per )elee Round. (presumin the spells are low le'el%.

:?. I need veri!ication on ru es !or shooting !rom a moving vehic e. 5he new books say that with a WP, shooting !rom a vehic e is on y a Wi d Shot. <ut in #i!ts( 'ustra ia they say that with the #oadganger and the *utback Gehi ce -ombat ski , that the pena ties are either reduced or nu i!ied. -ou d you c ari!y the ru e !or this case, and how it pertains to the examp es I have given. 'nswer( There are no contradictions 8ormally firin from a 'ehicle is a wild shot only, and you cannot do aimed, called, or sniper shots at all. /ith a /.P. the penalty is ", without the /.P. it is #?. /ith the Dutbac( Combat 5ri'in s(ill, you can ma(e aimed shots, and e'en called shots with a #+ penalty to stri(e (normally impossible%.

:1. When ! ying an airp ane, can the pi ot use "vasive 'ction to dodge a vo ey o! !our or more missi es& #oy Fokker does it in the 5.G. show. 'nswer( 8o they cannot, howe'er, they may try to use it to either ma(e the missiles lose loc(, or to outfly them allowin their fuel to run out, or to allow someone to tar et them.

:). 5he question is about supernatura strength in ,eroes Ln imited. When you have supernatura strength, it gives you a isting o! how much damage your punches do. <ut.. in the very beginning o! the book i! gives you the tab e !or extraordinary attributes, $1 dam !or each str above 16 I think.. So, when you have a supernatura str o! 41, do you get the $%4 dam as we as doing )d+x1? per punch.. or is it on y )d+x1? a hit... /ust wondering because it has a huge e!!ect on the game.. thanks 'nswer( 6our P.S. dama e bonus is added to the punch dama e from supernatural stren th.

:%. *n page +) o! the #i!ts #PE, you state that miniAmissi es are not guided. Instead you must use norma W.P. bonuses. Mou a so state that a character may add in his strike bonus !rom a high P.P. attribute. Is there a W.P. 2iniA2issi e& 'nd a so i! you get a bonus to strike !rom P.P with 2iniA2issi es, why wou dnCt you get the same bonus to hit with an aimed shot !rom a gun& 'nswer( That is a typo. P.P. bonuses do not apply to mini missiles

:+. I was reading ,L )nd "dition and came across something ca ed a PG in the ,ardware Weapons 2aster section. What is it, how does it work and why doesnCt the book mention PG anywhere e se in the book& What is the PG o! the !irearms in the book& 'nswer( P; is co'ered in reater depth in the H7 G)0s Guide. &t is also used with a alternate combat rules for modern weapons outlined in the Compendium of )odern /eapons.

:4. -an a character te when they have been a target o! a !ai ed psionic attack& For instance, i! one character was attacking another character in a di!!erent room with bioAmanipu ation, but the victim made their save vs. psionic attack, wou d the victim know what /ust happened, or is it impossib e to te &

'nswer( That depends on the nature of the Psionic attac(. ,or e.ample with bio manipulation Blind, no effect may be felt, or 'ision dimmed for a moment before comin bac(.

:6. I !ind in my games that characters seem to on y have two conditions they are either conscious or dead. Is there a good way to present an unconscious state in the Pa adium system& 'nswer( /hen the players hit " H.P. they will fall unconscious. They will die when it drops to a ne ati'e amount e@ual to there P.=.. *lso they can fall unconscious by failin a Sa'in Throw 's Pain. The rules on Sa'in Throw 's Pain can be found in 8in9as : Superspies (pa e $3+% or Rifts Canada (pa e +?%.

:8. 5he C-hiAEung A 29 SkinC in #i!ts 0apan 1pg 443 shows <onuses. 're the <onuses permanent or on y when the power is being used& 'nswer( The bonuses are permanent, but the *R is only applicable when Apowered upA.

::. *ne o! the p ayer in my group 7 myse ! was having a disagreement about Simu taneous 'ttacks. 2y !riend thinks that i! he is !ighting something with more attacks per round than himse ! he can ca Simu taneous and attack the same way he wou d be ab e to parry. 'nswer( /hen you do a simultaneous attac(, it uses up one of your characters attac(s<actions per round, li(e any normal attac(.

:;. I have a question about ca ed shot, do you need a natura 1) or better or /ust 1) a!ter bonuses& 'nswer( $+ or better after bonuses.

;?. In South 'merica ) there is an *-- ca ed the L traA-raKy. 5his *--Cs Supernatura Strength and Supernatura "ndurance are created or originate !rom magica means 15W3. 9oes this mean he has the capacity to do damage in hand to hand to those creatures that can on y be a!!ected by magic& For instance wou d he be ab e to do damage to 2urderwraiths or Gampires& 'nswer( 6es, those with supernatural stren th can affect those creatures that can only be harmed by ma ic<supernatural means

;1. In the #i!ter Go . % the martia art Mung ,uo 0en seems to missing v Cs 1A% !or advancement as we as the ski s, martia art powers and possib y some o! the movesF 'nswer( 6ou can find the correction on our web site under the Dops section.

;). In #i!ter J% I was not ab e to !ind 2artia 'rt 5echniques or Nanshin 5echniques.

5hese Items where mentioned in the <ishoudo Sty e. Where can I !ind these 5echniques& 'nswer( 8in9as : Superspies (p . $$!#$+!% and )ystic China (p . $!F#$?3%.

;%. In #obotech ( #eturn o! the 2asters, the 2echa SuA9ai *-- has a !ew ancient weapon ski s, do you add the bonus to the pi ots strike i! he has WP( Sword and is using the mecha siKe sword& 'nswer( 6es, Stri(e bonuses from the /.P. are added to the pilots stri(e bonus (includin mecha combat bonuses to stri(e%.

;+. ,and to ,and 2echa SuA9ai, does this rep ace the characterCs out o! mecha hand to hand ski & 'nswer( &t does not the PC 9ust chooses which one to use while in )echa.

;4. I! a character were pi oting a he icopter or a /et, what wou d they use !or combat& is there a Gehic e -ombat ski out there& 'nd what i! a GF Pi ot or a Geritech ,e icopter 1I cant remember the name3 were pi oting the nonAveritech !orm o! their mecha& wou d they use their mecha combat bonus in the vehic e& 'nswer( They use their s(ill in pilotin for most maneu'ers, stri(es etc are made usin the weapon system stri(e bonus, and any applicable bonuses from sensor systems, and weapon<'ehicle desi n.

;6. What e!!ect 1i! any3 do asers have on invisib e characters& 2y thought is none because ight passes through invisib e ob/ects. 'nswer( 6es, the laser still does dama e.

;8. 're there any types o! physica attacks you cant parry& Oike a dragons bite& 'nswer( *ttac(s that are e.tremely lar e, or consistin of a fluid as or a 'ast e.panse of solid wall (such as a iant bolder rollin down, the collapsin roof, a a'alanche, flash floodin , as etc cannot be parried. *s to other attac(s, it really depends on the situation, they type of the attac( etc.

;:. Lnder #obot -ombat( <asic in the #i!ts main book it states D.o dodgeD, does this mean no dodge is possib e or is there /ust no bonuses& 'nswer( 8o dod e is possible, the character is 9ust not s(illed enou h to perform that *ction, li(e 8o Body ,lip or no Iic(.

;;. Say a character has a $4 to strike and ro s a ), %, or +. 9oes the strike !ai & I have argued this point with the E2 !or hours. 2y contention is that characters shou d on y miss i! they ro a 1 natura y because characters have high bonuses !or reasons. ,e says that a ), %, or +, is sti a ), %, or + no matter how high the bonuses. So, whoCs

right& 'nswer( Bonuses count towards this. so with a E1 to stri(e rollin a +, 3 or ! will be counted as a 1, ?, or 2. Df course your G) mi ht ha'e a house rule statin that a natural $#! will miss.

1??. -an an 'rcanist use <u etAproo! vests such as - ass II, II, or even IGAtype armor. *r do the meta p ates inter!ere with spe Acasting& 'nswer( They can use such armour, howe'er, si nificantly co'erin the body with metals, will impede spell castin . Please consult Palladium ,antasy.

1?1. #egarding the '# used in S9- rea ms do you have to ro over the '# va ue natura y or do modi!iers count& 'nswer( )odifiers do count when penetratin *.R.

1?). What can a spe caster do de!ensive y whi e casting a spe & 'nswer( Hide, Parry (if the spell doesn0t re@uire hand mo'ements%, 5uc(, mo'e at normal to fast pace (but cannot run%. *nythin that causes the caster to lose a attac(, or spend a action will effecti'ely disrupt the castin , as can serious in9uries.

1?%. In the #obotech #PE, can a !u AsiKe Nentraedi without batt e armor be harmed by S9- weapons& 'nswer( They can be, since they are still S5C bein s, howe'er, it will ta(e a lot of dama e to hurt them.

1?+. -an a mage not in the combat be nearby and absorb PP" re eased !rom those dying in the combat. 'nswer( &f prepared to recei'e the P.P.=. but they must be 'ery close within reachin distance, ?#$" feet to do so. *ny further away means the P.P.=. can dissipate before the character can draw it in.

1?4. I! you stab a S.9.-. car with a vibro b ade what happens& 1 'nd the car has )4? S.9.-. and the b ade does + 2.9. 'nswer( The (nife will o throu h the car li(e a hot (nife throu h butter. Considerin the siGe of the car, the G) may re@uire se'eral stri(es to disable the car thou h or a called shot. But indi'idual components li(e doors, wheels, etc can easily be destroyed. &t does not thou h instantly blow up from the touch of a 'ibro blade.

1?6. ' 5itan /uicer with the equiva ent 1in S.9.-.3 o! 1? 2.9. is hit w=say )pts. 2.9. is that character, being an S.9.-. being automatica y ki ed& 'nswer( Since they ha'e $""" S5C, and they et hit by a blast doin + ).5. (+"" S5C% they will ha'e >"" S5C left. They will be ali'e, but it will ta(e a while for them to fully heal

bac(.

1?8. I have a question regarding the #i!ts game. When you ro to dodge does a ro o! + 1 be!ore dodge bonuses are added in 3 mean you !ai ed& I know when you attack a ro o! + !ai s was wondering i! that was !or dodging too. 'nswer( There is no automatic failure for dod e rolls.

1?:. I! a opponent succeeds his ambush ski ro . 9o he automatica y get initiative that round& 'nswer( &f the ambush wasn0t detected by a 5etect *mbush or similar power, and the others do not (now he has set up a ambush, yes he would et initiati'e, in fact he would ha'e surprise on his side.

1?;. I! a pi ot has a PS that provides a damage bonus does the robot or power armor gets that bonus& 'nswer( The Pilots P.S. doesn0t matter inside a robot or power armour, which ha'e their own P.S. e@ui'alent, unless it is a e.os(eleton which pro'ides a P.S. bonus. *nd you are correct the dama e bonus remains S.5.C. e'en with Robotic or Supernatural stren th.

11?. -an you pick the same W.P. twice to doub e the impact& 'nswer( 6ou cannot.

111. What I wish to know is i! a character who is intangib e is sti a!!ected by e ectricity 11=) damage3 can they wa k though the e ectrica shie d o! a Kapper, or at east s owed down somewhat& 'nswer( They can, but it will be painful for the intan ible character. (standard reaction would be to flinch and pull bac(%.

11). I! a mecha can ! y !aster than a missi e, can he simp y out run it& 5he S#A81 is about the on y /et ICve ever heard o! that cou d speed escape missi es, but most robotech mecha are !aster than the missi es. So how itera shou d I take those missi e speeds& 'nswer( 6es they could be out flown, but it would re@uire se'eral dod es to build up the speed re@uired, also it would lea'e the character open to other attac(s (any combat maneu'ers will cause the craft to loose speed allowin the missile to catch up.

11%. What about the concept o! C!ire inkingC& 2any mecha, particu ar y 1st series destroids, have a wide variety o! weapons. ,owever its my experience that p ayers wi use on y the most power!u weapons. So I was wondering what you might think about !iring mu tip e weapons at the same target. 5hat is can E adiator !ire the head aser turret and a grenade !rom the auncher at the same time. ,ow about i! it cost him

two attacks per me ee. Mou see #ick hunter !ire his ELA11 and his head asers at the same time. ,ow wou d that work& #educed accuracy, costs severa attacks at once, your thoughts. 'nswer( /eapons cannot be lin(ed unless otherwise stated. 5ifferent weapons may be used in different circumstances. i.e. autocannons and renade launchers for mob suppression etc.

11+. -oncerning a character, robot, or power armor with a high PS 19oing 2egaA 9amage3, ,ow wou d you determine damage !or a ripping !orce. 1"x. ' 9ragon i!ts up a -S dead boy in ight armor and tries to rip him in two, how wou d damage be given&3 'nswer( & would consider it a(in to a power punch, and do double supernatural stren th punch dama e.

114. I! you were to shoot a person who is not wearing any 2.9.-. armor with an 29 weapon1doing over his tota S.9.-. and ,P combined3 in a nonA!ata area 1i.e. a hand3 wou d the person die or /ust have said part b own o!!& 'nswer( That limb will be se'ered<dama ed beyond repair. See Coalition /ar Campai n for details.

116. 9o Supernatura being ike 9ragons, Eargoy es, brodki , have a #esistance to pain, because i! they didnCt then it wou d #"'OM hurt to get hit with a rai gun burst. 1save Gs. Pain&3 'nswer( P.=. bonuses add to the sa'in throw ;s Pain.

118. I! a /uicer 1or anyone with an automatic dodge3 insists on using power armor or robot vehic es does s=he ose the automatic dodge 1possib y due to ack o! sensory input3& 'nswer( They do.

11:. What is a W.P. meteor hammers, !rom the weapon katas in the Wu Shu 5CSung martia art sty e in .in/as 7 Superspies& 'nswer( &t is a specific type of hammer (use /.P. Blunt%.

11;. I! there are mu tip e e!!ects o! an attack that doub e damage, how exact y does it work& I"( 'n apok does doub e damage to supernatura creatures. So, i! he hits with a critica , does it do + times the damage, or /ust % times&1do you /ust add one to the number you mu tip y&3 I was /ust thinking about this and it wou d be possib e, using the )H)H) etc, to do ike 16 times damage, which is insane. 'nswer( &t multiplies the base dama e, so if say you did a critical stri(e usin a attac( that does double dama e the dama e would be .3.

1)?. 5he quick draw initiative bonus !or the WP sharp shooting ski and guns inger type characters, does that on y app y to the 1st me ee when the weapon is drawn& 'nswer( ='ery melee of the combat (they are fast with their uns%.

1)1. When a monster description says it takes !u damage !rom either a spe , or weapon, 1i.e. Kombies with energy based spe s3 do you sti ro !or damage, or /ust app y the max amount& 'nswer( 6ou roll normal dama e.

1)). In PF#PE, i! you pick the ski Dpaired weaponsD then when you reach eve 8 in ,), that bonus is a waste, why wou d you pick the ski i! you get it atter on& 'nswer( Because it can ta(e a while ettin to le'el 2 to recei'e that s(ill, when they could learn a limited 'ersion at le'el $ i'in them the bonuses.

1)%. .owhere in the book does it state you need a ro to parryP it seems to be automatic. I! two opponents, each with + attacks per round, engage in me ee combat, how can they hit each other& 'nswer( The term automatic means it does not use any action<attac( to perform, you still need to roll a die addin in the 'arious bonuses and penalties to see if it wor(s or not. This also applies to the other automatic actions li(e automatic dod e or automatic bodyflip<throw etc.

1)+. -an a /uicers harness be targeted whi e he is wearing armor& Whi e he is wearing c othes& I! it can be targeted is it a di!!icu t target& ,ow much damage cou d it take& I assume the drug harness is 2.9.-. 'nswer( &t all depends on the type of armor bein worn and how much protection it pro'ides. &f the harness is e.posed it will ta(e a called shot to hit, with a #? penalty to stri(e. Generally the tubin would be li ht ).5.C. $#+ points.

1)4. PF#PE when a ro e o! 1+ beats the '# o! armor does it actua y penetrate the armor or does it mean it /ust !inds a chink in the armor& 'nswer( &t either means it penetrates of find a chin( (that is arbitrary%

1)6. 9o you add the bonuses to strike when you shot a !ire bo t or !ire ba , or any other magic or psionic attacks& 'nswer( Dnly if that spell<power i'es a bonus to stri(e.

1)8. 9o any o! the exceptiona stats provide bonuses to pu punch or disarm& 'nswer( They do not.

1):. 9oes a character bonus to 9isarm give him a bonus to de!end against being disarmed by someone e se& 'nswer( &t doesn0t.

1);. In Pa adium Fantasy the ru es !or shie ds seem to make no sense, since a shie d ooses S9- whi e parrying a strike, whi e a Dnorma D weapon doesnCt. So why shou d anyone use a shie d !or parrying& Perhaps I did not understand the ru es. 5e me, i! I am wrong and what use shie ds have 1technica , besides ro eAp aying3. 'nswer( Shields are desi ned to bloc( the stri(e, not deflect it li(e a normal parry with any other (ind of weapon. This is the reason they a Shield has S.5.C.. 8ow a optional rule in Palladium ,antasy is that a shield only ta(es $"J dama e. This represents the durability of the shield in combat. 8ow shields can be used for other purposes, barin a heraldic emblem for one, co'erin the blind side (a (ite shaped shield while on horsebac( is a ood e.ample%. ,ormation fi hters also use a shield (the roman le ions for instance%.

1%?. What is D5argeting Ski D and how can a mage use it to increase his chance to strike with a spe . 'nswer( The tar etin s(ill is a weapon proficiency ,and cannot be used to aid spell accuracy unless otherwise stated.

1%1. With the abi ity o! Superior <owmanship the Oongbowman has a specia schedu e !or attacks 1as he goes up eve s3 does the $1 attack due to the boxing ski add to these& I! not then a regu ar bowman with boxing wou d have % attacks, but the ongbowman on y )F 'nswer( Bo.in does not apply to rate of fire for either of them.

1%). 9oes the $% to strike due to Superior <owmanship cumu ative with the $) to strike due to the sniper ski & 'nswer( 6es, it is.

1%%. I have a question regarding the W.P. .et ski o! the Pa adium Fantasy #o eA P aying Eame. What is the bonus to strike when thrown& 'nswer( There is no bonus to throwin a net.

1%+. I had an argument with a p ayer on the .atura )?. 5he argument was i! you ro a natura )? when using a ranged weapon you donCt need another .atura )? to beat it. ICm pretty sure you need to match it even when using ranged weapons but I might need some more proo! to send to this p ayer. 'nswer( &t is still a critical stri(e, and another natural +" is re@uired to beat it.

1%4. -an you de!ine a vo ey& ' !riend o! mine thinks that a vo ey is any amount o! weapons and=or missi es !ired in one attack at one target. 'nswer( * ;olley is ! or more missiles fired in one attac( at one tar et. * Burst from a automatic renade launcher or auto#cannon doesn0t count as a 'olley.

1%6. I am new to your gaming system and have p ayed with a !ew di!!erent 92s. In batt e, you have to ro a )? sided dice to strike when in a physica !ight. 9o you have to ro the )? sided dice to cast magic or can psionics and wiKards announce their spe they intend to cast and it goes o!! without any chance o! !ai ure& P ease te me how the ru es are meant to be no Dhouse ru esD. 'nswer( 6ou do not roll a dice when castin a spell or usin psionics unless a stri(e roll is re@uired to hit the tar et.

1%8. When using any sort o! shotgun 1sawedAo!!, automatic, etc3, what WP wou d app y or is there a WP shotgun ! oating out there somewhere that I missed&. 'nswer( Some of the ames do ha'e a /.P. Shot un it i'es the same bonuses as the other modern /.P..

1%:. In the .ightbane Wor d <ook *ne( <etween the Shadows, the Specia Forces *.-.-. is ab e to bypass a supernatura beingCs '.#. I! the same character was ri!ted into #i!ts "arth, how wou d that convert& Wou d he be ab e to damage 2.9.-. supernatura beings& 'nswer( 8o, the power will basically be ne ated.

1%;. What are the bonuses and damage ru es !or point b ank range attacks. ' gunshot against the temp e, throwing yourse ! on a grenade, etc.& 'nswer( Generally double dama e, sometimes direct to Hit Points ;illains 7nlimited for Heroes 7nlimited, and Rifts Con'ersion Boo( $ ha'e dama e for point blan( attac(s as well as the Compendium of )odern /eapons.

1+?. 9oes a person who takes the sharp shooting ski get the abi ity to use two pisto s at once& *r do they have to take Paired WeaponsA"nergy Pisto 1or something ike that3. 'nswer( They do not et paired weapons, and only select D.C.C.0s et the /.P. Paired (modern<ener y% weapons.

1+1. What are the exact ru es !or the ,AL=-entury Station P.S. damage bonuses& Is it 1say a P.S. o! 8?3$ )d+H1? or $ )d+H1?$44& 'nswer( The latter is correct, P.S. dama e bonuses is added if the dama e inflicted is S.5.C..

1+). I was /ust wondering, can any *-- besides the Eun!ighter=Euns inger and ,eadhunter 5echnoAwarrior take the Paired Firearms WP in the new West& 'nd i! so, what are the ski costs& 'nswer( 8o, unless otherwise stated in their description.

1+%. In page 11) in #i!ts( -anada on the topic o! ,eadhunter 5echnoAWarrior *-there is mention o! DWP Paired FirearmsD in #i!ts( .ew West, <ut I do not see any. Which page is it on& ,ow does it work out& What is the detai & 9oes DWP Paired FirearmsD inc ude a !irearms or you have to choose which kind o! !irearms to be paired much ike DWP Paired weaponsD& 'nswer( The /.P. Paired /eapons s(ill is listed under the Gunslin er and Gunfi hter D.C.C.0s.

1++. 9o I get my dodge bonuses to dodge spe b asts ike !ire ba or do I get save vs. magic bonuses& 'nswer( &f you are physically dod in the blasts then use the dod e bonuses.

1+4. *k, I know you have to ro a natura )? to beat a natura )? but this is di!!erent. ' person !ires )+ 2#2Cs at you, they ro a .'5L#'O )? Mou !ire a !ew S#2 p asma=.apa ms at the vo ey and ro a 8....you sti have to ro 191??, and you get %6 our o! that and it says 84@ chance to destroy the vo ey. 9*"S the vo ey get destroyed&& even though you ro ed under 84@ to destroy the vo ey& 'nswer( Shootin the 'olley is not considered a dod e (so the natural +" opposed rolls is not re@uired%.

1+6. 9oes W.P. Oance give p uses to strike and parry at certain eve s ike with the other weapons& 5hat is not isted under 5he Way o! the Oance. 'nswer( They do not recei'e any bonuses to stri(e or parry.

1+8. Lnder Nan/i Shin/inken #yu in .in/as and Superspies, -ombination Erab=S ash is isted as a 1SP"-I'OF3 attack, but un ike a other Specia Cs, no ru es are isted !or it, either under the martia art isting or in the -ombat -hapter. 5he best guess I have !or a ru e is that it wou d be simi ar to Erab=>ick, with a sword attack in p ace o! the kick 1doing critica damage3. Is this correct& 'nswer( That is correct.

1+:. I have a question about the 6th trick shot in the .ew West book. It says you can dodge or ro and come up shooting. -an you c ari!y this& I thought i! you dodge as an action and it uses up your next action. 9oes this make it where he can shoot whi e dodging as a !ree action& 'nswer( 5od in is not considered a free action with this, but it can be considered a combination mo'e, allowin them to stri(e bac( while dod in a enemy shot.

1+;. 're there any modi!iers to strike !or !iring a weapon !rom a distance& It seems ike a target shou d be !ar harder to hit when !iring !rom a mi e away rather than point b ank. 'nswer( Generally there is no penalty to hit if the tar et is within effecti'e ran e and is 'isible, but there are base tar ets for rollin Bess than 1" feet, 1 or better ?"#+"" feet, > or better +"" plus feet, $+ or better

14?. In ,eroes Ln imited under 'crobatics and Eymnastics ski s, it says that the character gets an D'utomatic >ick 'ttack !or )9+ damageD. What exact y does that mean& I understand what a kick attack is. I a so understand how damage works. What does the DautomaticD part mean& For automatic parries and dodges it means that it does not cost an attack. I! that is the case here, characters can /ust go around kicking each other and then autoAkicking each other again, a in the same attack. -ou d you p ease e aborate as to the intent o! this item& 'nswer( They automatically recei'e a (ic( attac( at le'el one, not at later le'els.

141. In re!erence to the 2outh Weapons weapon pro!iciency 12ystic -hina pg 1%3. 5he starting rate o! !ire per me ee seems to have been omitted. We got strike bonuses and eve advancement bonuses !or both strike and rate o! !ire, but how many shots per me ee at eve 1 pro!iciency& 'ny ideas on this one& 'nswer( &nitial Rate of ,ire is +.

e$ha'RPA Criti$al Tables. by Stan %undy

/0T)S, )ffe$ts of Severs on Po1er Armors and their Pilots
8. "f the total damage from the critical 5default for severs is triple, unless otherwise stated6 would not normally destroy the limb, then treat a KSeverK result as followsG

2. Section of limb crushed, locking up the joints, and it will have to be cut off of the pilot's own 3. limb. This requires one of the following skills b the person doing the removing !pilot is "#$% to &. attempt on self'( #. )obot or *echa *echanics !"+$%', ,. *edical -octor !"3$%', .. *.-. / bernetics !"2$%', 0. *.-. 1ionics !no penalt ', 2n other mechanical or medical skill that includes abilit to use *.-. cutters !"#$%'

1. "f the damage e'ceeds the limb0s -.#.!., check for the followingG . "s the Pilot wearing body armor underneath the power armor? %his is re$uired for !yclones, and usually true for *litter Boys, but is impossible for most

types. "f secondary body armor present 5cyber-armor or ltarian body armor don0t count unless it0s a shoulder hit6, then the e'cess damage goes against it. "f its -.#.!. is surpassed as well, go to B.A B. "s the pilot a -ega-damage creature? ,nlikely, but possible. -ost -.#.!. races in )ifts usually go around without even body armor, and possess magic, psionics and&or the P.S. to pack a railgunA sometimes, all threeD %he most likely candidates are agent types trained in /LS -artial rts (orms and +eroes ,nlimited characters that have -.#.!. as a result of alien origin, a mutant skin or Super abilities such as 7'traordinary P.7., "nvulnerability or lter Physical Structure 5-etal or Stone6. "f super characters have no offensive powers, and&or are slowed by their powers, they may very well wear power armor for an increase in P.S., speed and offensive capability. "f the pilot is an -.#.!. structure, then 8&9 of his ma'imum total body -.#.!. would be re$uired to possibly destroy a limb. See the table belowG
/. -. 5. 8. ;. <. -amage taken 3 )oll needed on -% to keep arm """""""""""""""""""""""""4""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" +6, to +63 Total *.-./. 3 7ver *.-./. done b attack!s' +63 Total *.-./. 4 3 9nder !:.5."damage over +63' given, treat that number

=f a separate limb listing is alread as +62 in the equations above. =. =f the pilot is S.-./., go to /.>

E. "f all else fails, how serious is the wound? %reat each -# point over the armor0s as a cumulative B2M chance that the S.#.!. limb will be lost. "f the limb survives, it takes =#9 S.#.!. per -# point that got through. &osin! a limb, the character is automatically out of the offensive part of combat, losing 8&9 of his combined S.#.!.&+it points or -.#.!. immediately, and must save vs. >ethal Poison each round to keep from losing consciousness. "f the limb was severed where it can still have a tourni$uet placed, the character can attempt it. "f on their own arm, the roll is at a -<2M. ,ntil the tourni$uet is placed, the character loses B#9 +"% P:"/%S per round 5including that round6, and afterward will lose 8 hit point per minute unless a successful medical check 5first aid, paramedic, holistic or any doctor6 is made each minute 5or one successful check with the (ield Surgery skill will stop all the bleeding for the duration - of course, failing that skill check results in death6. %his condition continues until treated by surgery, magic or psionics 5at any time6, or a paramedic in a non-combat situation. %o re.oin the limb in Rifts would take a )estoration spellA otherwise, the character would need cybernetic or bionic implantation. -.#.!. creatures will lose B#9 -.#.!. per round until the blood flow stopped, then 8 -.#.!. per minute thereafter. )egeneration will stop all bleeding, regardless of how much is regenerated.

+in! Criti$als2d34 /0T), Disre!ard s#eed & dod!e #enalties in s#a$e.

$+"&$ &+".$ .+"02 :ilot -ouble -amage. Speed reduced b 2#%. "+ to dodge. -ouble -amage. Speed reduced b #$%. "3 to dodge. -ouble -amage> ?ing broken. Speed reduced b .#%. "# to dodge. roll needed at "3$% each round to sta airborne. 1est chance is to hover6go @T7A or go to 1attloid mode!if a @eritech'. 03"B$ ?ing sheared off. Co combat, ",$% roll to sta in air D transform.

B+"B. ?ing missiles hit, if applicable. )oll on *issile /ritical Table at a "3$% penalt !results of Eero or less are ignored'. 7therwise, treat as 03"B$. B0"$$ :lane starts to break up. :ilot must roll under +62 :.:. b the end of the round or be killed. /haracter can make as man attempts as he has left, or one if no attacks are left. NOTE: )esults of .+"B$ make atmospheric reentr impossible.

Shoulder'Arm'Hand Criti$als2d34
/0T), Shoulder& rm -issile launchers. %here is a percentage chance e$ual to 8&B of the -.#.!. done to the arm for a -issile Pod !ritical5side effects only6. /o additional damage is done, unless 19-22 is rolled on the latter table.
$+"3$ -ouble -amage. <and to hand damage and :.S. reduced b #$%, and hand" held weapons are "# to strike. 3+",$ -ouble -amage. 2rm immobile. "+ attack until repaired. =f variable" mode, then cannot transform. ,+"0$ Triple -amage. Co further effects. 0+"B$ Triple -amage. 2rm sluggish. "+ attack, Co strike6parr bonuses. B+"$$ Fuadruple -amage, and the arm is severed at the impact point. =f impact point not given, roll +-2$( +"# Shoulder> ,"+3 9pper 2rm> +&"+. Aower 2rm> +0"2$ <and.

Head'Sensor Head Criti$als2d34

$+"&$ &+".$ .+"B$ B+"$$ -ouble -amage. =f Sensor head hit, "+ to strike as well. Triple -amage. =f Sensor head, it is destro ed !lose primaries'. -ouble -amage. <ead"mounted weapons and6or sensors destro ed. <ead destro ed. "& to all combat rolls.

Pilot5s Com#artment Criti$als2d346

$+",$ ,+".$ .+"0$ 0+"00 0B"B3 B&"B. B0"$$ -ouble -amage to -ouble -amage to Triple -amage to Triple -amage to Triple -amage to 2s 0+"00, eGcept 2s 0B"B3, eGcept /ompartment. /ompartment, 2d, S.-./. damage to occupants. /ompartment, 3d, S.-./. damage to occupants. /ompartment, 3d, S.-./. and +-, <: to occupants. /ompartment, &d, S.-./. and 2d, <: to occupants. :ilot knocked unconscious.H :ilot is comatose !$ S.-./. and <it :oints'.H

N "ncludes Beta Bomb Bay criticals. #amage to -.#.!. creatures is -#, unless S.#.!. crew are aboard, in which case, the -.#.!. person5s6 must save vs. drugs or be stunned 5no actions this round, halve attacks and bonuses for the ne't6. O "gnore Pilot damage if a Bomb Bay !ritical. :therwise, someone must take over the controls of a flying mecha, or it will crash in 8#= rounds5)oll on !rash >anding table ,nder Pilot Skills6.

%ody Armor Criti$als2vs. $ertain atta$7 forms8 See notes belo14

>ocation 5)oll 8#826 + I <ead &", I *ain 1od

2 3

I )ight 2rm I Aeft 2rm

."0 I )ight Aeg B"$ I Aeft Aeg

/otes, 7ach area above can withstand damage e$ual the armor0s listed S.#.!.&-.#.!.. +owever, e'plosions do e$ual damage to all parts of the armor 5due to burst radius6, as do vehicle-siFed plasma weapons. *uns, autocannons, hand-held energy weapons, and hand to hand combat do damage to one part only. Some criticals allow S.#.!. weapon attacks to bypass -.#.!. armor. %his is a matter of hitting a weak spot in the armor. :f course, these weak spots aren0t the same in any two sets of armor, and result from use and abuse by the wearer5s6, previous weapon hits, etc. lso, the concussion of normal -.#.!. attacks can cause damage through armor. !ritical rolls that bypass -.#.!. armor are marked with a KNK Head,
$+"#$ #+"0# J 0,"B# J B,"$$ shots on -ouble -amage. 3$% chance for stun +-& rounds. Triple -amage. ,$% chance of knockout +-2$ rounds. 8aceplate cracked. 8urther hits vs. 2) +& will penetrate. 8aceplate destro ed. +62 damage done to the person inside. /alled the head will hit face for straight <: damage.

Arms'&e!s,
$+"&$ -ouble -amage. &+",$ -ouble -amage. Aimb injured> "+-, S.-./., 2n arm hit results in a to Strike D :arr , while a leg hit results in a "2 to -odge D )oll. ,+"0$ Triple -amage. :enalties and S.-./. are double that of &+",$. 0+"B$ Fuadruple -amage if *.-./. weapon. S.-./. weapon finds weak spot armor, does +62 damage to character. B+"B0 2s 0+"B$, eGcept S.-./. weapon does normal damage. BB"$$ 2s 0+"B$, eGcept S.-./. weapon hit is a critical strike.

"2 J in J J

ain %ody,
$+"#$ -ouble -amage. #+".$ Triple -amage. .+"0$ -ouble -amage to armor, impact cracks +-& ribs!"2d, S.-./. and "2d, <:'. =njur needs treatment b someone with at least :aramedic skill to be set. J 0+"B$ Fuadruple -amage if *.-./. weapon. S.-./. weapon finds weak spot in armor, does +62 damage to character. J B+"B0 2s 0+"B$, eGcept S.-./. weapon does normal damage. J BB"$$ 2s 0+"B$, eGcept S.-./. weapon hit is critical strike.

+ea#ons Criti$als2other than missile laun$hers42d34

$+"&$ -ouble -amage. &+",$ Triple -amage. =f not destro ed, .$% chance of s stems failure. ,+"0& ?eapon destro ed. 0#"B# ?eapon destro ed, doing single shot damage G+$ !or short burst damage G#' to adjacent areas. B,"$$ ?eapon eGplodes, overloading all s stems. @ehicle shuts down for +-&42 rounds, 4 roll main bod

critical !base damage &-, *-'. 8l ing aircraft ma attempt emergenc

landing as per normal rules.

/0T), Weapons become useless after taking full -.#.!.. +owever, gun pods&railguns can be used as clubs5punch damage H8#96, with WP Blunt bonuses only.

&e!')n!ine' issile Criti$als Table.

%his table0s purpose is to determine what table5s6 to roll on when certain criticals are rolled, as many mecha L robot vehicles have combination legs&engines, engines&missile launchers or even all three combined. When a combination critical is rolled, divide the damage rolled by the number of criticals, then roll the appropriate critical for each. 7'ampleG 1C is rolled for a Beta 4eritech 5a combination >eg&7ngine&-issile Pod critical, in the )P* version6. Base damage rolled is 92 -.#.!.. :ne critical is rolled on each table, using B2592&<6 as the base damage for each table. %he -issile Pod critical results in double damage, and .ammed pod doorsA the leg critical in triple damage5but no other penalties6A finally, the engine critical in double damage and a coolant leak. %otal damage is B2'5BH<HB6JB2'@J8=2 -.#.!., .ammed missile pod doors on that leg, and a engine shutdown in that leg in 8#= minutes. Ty#e of Criti$als
/ategor 3 2 3 1 3 / 3 3 5 3 """""""""""""""""""4"""""""3"""""""3"""""""3"""""""3"""""""3 Aeg onl 3 $+"&$ 3 $+"32 3 3 $+"0# 3 $+",$ 3 5ngine onl 3 &+"0$ 3 33",$ 3 $+"#$ 3 0,"B# 3 3 *issile :od onl 3 3 ,+".# 3 #+"0$ 3 3 ,+"0# 3 Aeg and 5ngine 3 0+"$$ 3 .,"0# 3 3 B,"$$ 3 3 Aeg and *issile 3 3 0,"B+ 3 3 3 0,"$$ 3 5ngine and *issile 3 3 B2"B. 3 0+"$$ 3 3 3 2ll Three 3 3 B0"$$ 3 3 3 3

Cate!ories, While "0ve tried to be complete in my listings below, it0s $uite possible some mecha, robot vehicles and power armor may have slipped through. "f the item in $uestion is not listed, use the category it best fits.
Category A: *ain engines located in legs. 5Gamples are " Robotech: )-8 @8"+s !regular D Super', S/2 2K2/S and Aogan> Macross II: @8"2K2, @8"2SS!base model', @/"$.B, @8"LL, ;ilgamesh =6==> Rifts: 2ll )ifts Space robots !eGcept Steel -ragon', TriaG L"2.$$. Category B: *ain engines 2C- *issiles located in legs. 5Gamples are " Robotech: 2rmored @8"+, 2lphas, @8"+@ @indicator, 1eta> Macross II: @8"2KSS6S2:S!=6==', *etal Siren, *arduk 2nnihilator. Category C: 5ngines D *issiles present together on back. 5Gamples are( Robotech: )-8 Super @8"+s D =nvid )o al /ommand 1attloid> Category D: -irectional thrusters onl located in legs. These results are modified as follows( cut power loss b +62, no engine shutdowns or eGplosions. )esults that would have resulted in shutdown or eGplosion do triple damage instead. <owever, there is a "# to dodge after an resulting thruster critical until repaired. 5Gamples are " Robotech: =nvid *echa !all'> Macross II: Mentran D *eltran :ower 2rmors, 9C S:2/N :halanG 9pgrade.

Rifts: Space ;litter 1o s Category E: Co engines in legs, but *issiles are present. 5Gamples are " Robotech: )-8 5Gcaliber, )-8 D )58 ;ladiators> Macross II: Tomahawk, 2;2 8ighter.

&e! Criti$als Table2d34

#oing B22M -.#.!. to one leg results in an automatic 12-22, even if no critical was rolled. :n this table, penalties are to ground operation unless noted otherwise. %his includes .umps, leaps L climbing.
$+"2# -ouble -amage. 2,"&$ Triple -amage. &+",$ -ouble -amage> mobilit impaired. "2 to dodge and "2$% to speed. ,+".& Triple -amage> mobilit seriousl impaired. "& to dodge and "#$% to speed. 2n engine functions of the leg reduced b 3$%. .#"0B -ouble -amage, but leg immobiliEed. *ust be dragged along like it was in a cast. *o dodge and "B$% to walking6running speed. @ariable"form mecha cannot switch modes. B$"$$ Triple damage D Aeg severed, even if damage not high enough to destro the leg. The effects are( Battloid-type mecha robots!pla"et-side#: Co dodge or roll, "+$ to parr or strike. Speed +-& *:< at best!crawl'. *echa falls over> Mentraedi pods have a &$% chance of eGplosion!killing pilot'. $o%er Armors a"d RE& Cyclo"es: See :ower 2rmor notes for effects. Battloid-types!space#: "+$% to pilot rolls. 'eritechs( 'al)yries * Tria+ Drago"%i"g !flyi"g#( ,--...!%ater#: Transformation impossible, plus the following, b mode " 1attloid6;uardian( *echa starts cartwheeling. :ilot roll needed at ",$% to stabiliEe long enough to put down!emergenc landing roll then needed'. 1attloid6;uardian in Space( "&$% :ilot roll to counter rotation. @ehicle " 5ngine shuts down. )educe speed, dodge and roll b #$%. =n ?ater!2ll modes'( 1attloid D ;uardian mode vehicles ma cartwheel if rel ing solel on legs for thrust. The might also start to sink from lack of bou anc . <owever, it is much easier to compensate for the lack of one thruster, due to the densit of the water. @ehicle mode suffers onl the wehicle mode penalties listed above, as the should have sufficient lifting D steering abilit to counter the now off"center thrust.

)n!ine'%ooster Criti$als2d34
$+"+# -ouble -amage. 5ngine sputters. -odges at "+$ for + round. +,"2# -ouble -amage. 8uel leak !conventional' or coolant leak !mecha D robot vehicles'. 5ngine shuts down in +-& minutes!&"+, rounds'. 2,"#$ -ouble -amage. -ebris sucked into intake. Speed D power at "+$%.

#+".# Triple -amage. Speed reduced b 2#%, and engine begins to overheat !?ill shut down in +-&G+$ min.'. .,"B$ Triple !major' -amage. 5ngine will shut down in +-0 rounds. B+"B, Turbine disintegrates, throws +-& bladesO 5ngine destro ed, roll where blades go !d%, reroll impossible'( $+"+#( 7ut of the mecha and into the air. ?hew. +,"3$( < draulics or fl "b "wire lines cut. 2ircraft lose all control, ground vehicles are immobiliEed. 3+"#$( *issile :od " )oll missile critical !&-, *- base damage'. #+",#( 7ther ?eapon " )oll weapon critical !&-, *- base damage'. ,,"0$( ?ing " )oll ?ing critical !&-, *- base damage'. 0+"B#( 7ther 5ngine. )oll a critical on it !&-, *- base damage'. B,"$$( :ilot's compartment. )oll d% S.-./. -amage on pilot if S.-./.. =f *.-./. pilot or wearing *.-./. armor, &-, *- is done on top of the S.-./. !;oodb e, /ruel ?orldO', and S.-./. reduced b +62. B."$$ *echa 5Gplodes!see *ain 1od /ritical B."$$'.

issile Pod Criti$als2d34

$+"3$ -ouble -amage. Targeting computer damaged. 7nl )efleG *issiles, Smart missiles retain Strike bonuses. 3+",$ -ouble -amage. +d,G+$% of the missiles in the pod will not respond to launch commands. )oll +-0 for reason!s'( +"& 8iring s stem damaged. #", *issiles damaged. . 1oth +"& and #",. 0 )oll again, and add +$% to the number affected. ,+"0$ -ouble -amage. *issile :od doors jam in current position. 8urther criticals on this pod is twice as likel !on a +B or 2$', and are at 42$% on this table if the doors are jammed open. 0+"B$ -ouble -amage. other effects are as both 3+",$ and ,+"0$. B+"B# Triple -amage. )oll +-,> on a +, roll again on this table. -amage is additionall cumulative !eGample( triple 4 double I #G damage'. B,"$$ Cormal damage !empt pod takes double damage'. +-, missiles will detonate in place, doing damage to the pod. There is a +#% per missile chance!cumulative' that the entire pa load will chain"react. =f that happens, the *issile :od is destro ed, and leftover damage is passed on to the area where it is located. =f the missile pod is located on the *ain 1od , the damage from the chain"reaction divided b +$ is the percentage chance that the mecha will eGplod as a result !as B."$$ on *ain 1od table'.

ain %ody Criti$als2d34

)oll 33 <eav ?eaponr J 33 *.-. Small 2rms 33 *elee /ombat !d%' 33 Times 3 effects 33 Times 3 5ffects 33 Times 3 5ffects """"""44"""""""4"""""""""44"""""""4"""""""""44"""""""4""""""""" $+"+# 33 G+.# 3 +d3 33 G+.# 3 $ 33 G+.# 3 #$% +,",$ 33 G2 3 +d& 33 G2 3 #$% 33 G2 3 +d2 ,+"0$ 33 G3 3 +d&4+ 33 G3 3 +d2 33 G3 3 +d3 0+"B$ 33 G& 3 +d, 33 G3 3 +d3 33 G& 3 +d& B+"B, 33 G3 3 S.-. 33 G& 3 +d& 33 G# 3 +d&4+

B."$$ 33

5GplosionOO

33

G3

S.-.

33

G&

S.-.

6 "ncludes all weapons capable of 8#='82 -.#. or more, even if hand-held. /0T), rear -ain Body hit on a #estroid with a Space Propulsion pack or a suit of body armor with a .et or space pack has a C2M chance of hitting the pack instead. %reat a critical on the Pack as an 7ngine !ritical at -82M on the roll. /egatives are treated as 28-8;. )ffe$ts, ;2M means there is a ;2M chance of one side-effect. S.D., -echa Shuts down in <#= pilot actions. lso suffers 8d9 side-effects. !an be restarted with a piloting roll at 8&= or a mecha&robot 7lectronics skill at normal, after another 8#= melees 5by which time you may already be dead6, if in a flying craft. )*#losion99, %reat damage to target as 8 multiplier over what would be needed to deplete the combined -ain Body and Pilot !ompartment -.#.!.. "f the vehicle had =22 -.#.!. and its P! had 8C2, and the weapon does 92 -# before the critical multiplier, then the damage to the vehicle is 992 -# 5'886. See ne't page for determining chance of crew e.ection and damage to the crew from e'plosion.

Side )ffe$ts from

ain %ody Criti$al2d34

been destro ed.

Reroll if s stem has never been present on the vehicle DO NOT RERO// if the s stem was present but has alread

$+"+$ Aose eGterior 2udio6@isual s stems. ++"+0 Aose + random /ommunications s stem present. 1ackups cannot be destro ed before primaries. J +B"2+ Aose /ombat /omputer!"+ to strike'. 22"2# Aose Targeting S stem!"+ to strike'. 2,"3$ Aose )adar or other standard sensor sensor s stem!"2 to strike D dodge'. 1ackups cannot be hit before primaries. J 3+"3# Aose special s stem !anti"recoil s stem, Shadow -evice, etc.'. 3,"&$ Aose ejection s stem !just one, if multiple present'. &+"&# Aose use6control of special movement or recoil s stem !@T7A s stems, 8oot *agnets, Swa p lons, jump jets6backpack, etc.'. &,"#$ @eritechs and other multi"mode vehicles from other games cannot transform. -estroids D )obots cannot turn6rotate torso. #+"## -amage done is +62 to *ain 1od , +62 to :ilot's /ompartment. 8or power armor, treat as B,"$$ below. #,",$ :ilot stunned ld& rounds. ,+",# =nternal damage to s stems!"+ attack, "2 to all combat rolls'. ,,".2 :ower 8ailure. *echa shuts down in +-& actions, for 3-& actions. .3".B :ower 8ailure. *echa shuts down immediatel for 3d, pilot actions. 0$"02 :ower 8ailure. *echa shuts down until repaired. 03"00 7ne ?eapon S stem will not fire. 0B"B$ 2ll ?eapons will not fire. B+"B# 5ngine damage. :ower6speed6thrust reduced b d% percent. Ket aircraft require at least &$% thrust to sta in flight, ,$% to sta in combat. @eritechs must be capable of +#% thrust to remain airborne in jet mode, 3$% in ;uardian mode, &#% in 1attloid mode.

-estroids, )obots and :ower 2rmor have their power reduced as well, reducing their ground speed. -rops to below #$% power make flight and leaps impossible. B,"$$ :ilot is injured, takes 3d, S.-./. D +-+$ <it :oints !#-, *.-./. for full"siEed Mentraedi and other *.-./. structures'. )oll again.

Dama!e to $re1'#assen!ers of e*#lodin! vehi$le, ll persons aboard who have the capability to e.ect must roll under 8&B their P.P. on 8#B2 to do so before the e'plosion. %hose remaining in the vehicle take the amount of damage e'ceeding the destruction amount 5in the above e'ample, C2 -#6, plus 82M of the destruction amount 5above, ;C -#6. So, in the above e'ample, the total damage to crew left inside is C2H;C J 8<C -#. )educe damage to 8&B for persons immune to fire 5only6, to 8&= if impervious to energy. S.#.!. persons protected by body armor take 8 S.#.!. for each -.#.!. their armor takes from the e'plosion.