SaVasku Needle POD

Any one like to agree or shoot down in flames the following idea.

Needle POD

1 bio mass   3 power  range 36"
All ships within 6" take a hit as per one needle beam on a roll of a 5 or
6.

A bit like the effect of one of those Star Wars X ray laser satellites, looked
like a WWII mine, that the US were thinking about developing to shoot down
ICBMs

> -----Original Message-----
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WARNING HOUSE RULE...

Stinger Nodes can be used as a needle beam.

Firing Cost: Double that of standard stinger shot at target range.

Needle Stinger is limited to one dice of needle damage at the target range.
One coetex node needs to be dedicated to each stinger firing in needle mode.

This rule has increased the number of cortex nodes and stingers on our
designs. Using them in favor of the single stinger, mega beam designs, that
some were trying out.

> Any one like to agree or shoot down in flames the following idea.

Knee-jerk reaction: I have problem with an area weopen with
aimed-selective
effects. Not a balance, but a PSB problem, methinks.

The_Beast

-Douglas J. Evans, curmudgeon

One World, one Web, one Program - Microsoft promotional ad
Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuhrer - Adolf Hitler

In message
<CA379025AEA1D3118A0D0000BC11753A04C69F0F@MAIL1.sts-systems.ca>
> NGarbett@STSSystems.com wrote:

> Any one like to agree or shoot down in flames the following idea.
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> Nick Garbett
Hmm.. how does it know which systems on the target ships to attack?

I did come up with my own idea for a needle pod, it was a modified lance pod
that tageted a single designated system on the target vessel, cf. needle beam.

3 power, 1 bio mass, Range 12 MU, roll damage as 1 beam dice (no
re-rolls, but penetrating), if the roll was a 6, then the target system
is damaged or destroyed.

On the subject of pods, other ideas I had:

Gunge pods (also called much ruder things by DC parties - q.v.)

This pod costs the standard 3 power, 1 biomass, and has a range of 12 MU, when
it hits the target ship, it bursts into splatters of a quick
setting bio-epoxy goop, covering part of the target ship.

Roll a threshold check for all non-core systems on the target, with the
threshold number based on the size of the ship:

1-100: 4,5, or 6
101-200: 5 or 6
200+: 6

If a system fails the check, it is covered in goop and is inoperable until
cleaned (by damage control parties, at the usual chance of success for
repairs).

Gas Pods/Vapour Pods

3 power, 1 biomass, range: 18 MU, these create a cloud of vapour round the
target vessel which lasts until the end of the current turn. The
cloud acts in all ways as a vapour shroud (ship has level-2 screen
protection, but cannot attack at all).

I also considered a giant pod launcher capable of launching swarms of drones
(cf. a giant interceptor pod), in a similar manner to that propsed by Nyrath
in the SV womb mod for fighters thread, and inspired by the same source.

> [quoted text omitted]
Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2000 18:49:26 +0100
From: Charles Stanley Taylor
Subject: Re: SaVasku Needle POD

Gas Pods/Vapour Pods 3 power, 1 biomass, range: 18 MU, these create a
cloud of vapour round the target vessel which lasts until the end of the
current turn. The cloud acts in all ways
as a vapour shroud (ship has level-2 screen protection, but cannot
attack at all).
<<<<<<<<<<

charles,

how about not necessarily around a ship, but as an obstacle similar to a
frightened squid
squirting out black ink to escape, or some tholian web-like thing to
reduce/stop weapon
hits....

this has some possiblilties!

dave

In message <200006161529.IAA18763@soda.csua.Berkeley.edu>
> "David Reeves" <davidar@nortelnetworks.com> wrote:

[snip my old msg]
> charles,
Actually I had considered just letting it be dropped at any one location on
the board, creating a 1 MU wide cloud that lasts until the end of the turn.

Possible uses - use on enemy ships - they're harder to hurt (with some
weapons) - but can't fire back :-)

use on own ship thats about to come under heavy attack

use as Dave describes - create a ephemerial cloud.

Now the question I must ask:

Is this thing balanced?

(I used standard pod biomass and power costs, and a wild guess for the
range - 18 MU)

Now another idea (also B5 inspired)

FTL scrambler pod

This pod only has effect if fired at a ship attempting to FTL away from the
battle, on the turn that the player of the FTLing ship announced an
FTL warm-up (see FT2 p23-24).

The scrambler pod has the same chance to hit as a lance pod (3+ at 0-6
MU, 4+ at 7-12 MU, 5+ at 13-18 MU and 6 at 19-24 MU) (notice how lance
pods are like old-style pulse torps - yep, me too)

If it hits, the ship attempting to FTL must add +2 to its dice roll for
FTL (but a '1' still counts as a '1')
so the chances are: 1: FTL fails, 2: ship jumps out, 3-6: ship blows up

Now this could be pretty nasty, is it to nasty for the standard 1 biomass, 3
power of a pod?

(personally, I think all pods should be the same size, ie. 1 biomass, but some
pods could have bigger energy requirements)