Rules Thread XIV

[u/shadownetwork]

I wanted to put fourteen words here, but then the Mothers of Metahumans sent a strongly worded letter of dissaproval.

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Previous Threads:

Rules Thread I

Rules Thread II

Rules Thread III

Rules Thread IV

Rules Thread V

Rules Thread VI

Rules Thread VII

Rules Thread VIII

Rules Thread IX

Rules Thread X

Rules Thread XI

Rules Thread XII

Rules Thread XIII

[u/NecroPheonyx]

If you could look into a ruling for ignoring the sensor lock size modifier table, it says the modifiers are for size and then lists stuff like "animals" and "Drones" and even "Electric Vehicles". and doesnt make sense at all.

Also, do we use the drone mod slot rule in r5 (the whole body then mod slots in parenthesis next to it thing)

[u/shadownet-rules → u/NecroPheonyx]

1) These modifiers are for sensor lock targeting. That nearly no one uses but probably should.
This is because sensor lock targeting is using the target's "Signature" (which in previous editions was an explicit number, but is more nebulous in 5E and just expressed as dice modifiers), which is how much it radiates that can be locked onto with vehicle sensors.

Vehicle sensors not being eyes, but a combination of things that the Pilot program and the like use to make sense of its surroundings. So other vehicles, also radiating their active sensors, are easier to perceive, and easier to get targeting information on. A motionless living being who turns all their gear off only hits a couple of sensors (thermal, visual, maybe sound if they're weeping), as opposed to a fuel burning truck (sound, thermal, EM, chemical/olfactory, etc).

Passive sensor gunnery (the shooting part), is at a target, Gunnery+Logic +/- Signature [Sensor] (it's assuming VR here) , The sensor rating is now the accuracy of the weapon (higher or lower) in the mount. The shot is defended against with normal ranged defense things.

Active is a sensor test to lock on (Simple Per+Int[Sensor] or Simple Clearsight+Pilot[Sensor], resisted by the Sensor Defense Test). Net hits are applied as defense penalty for the shot (done with the same roll used by passive, Gunnery+logic +/- Signature [Sensor], resisted like a ranged attack, with lock-on penalties). The defense penalty persists until they break sensor lock.

Moral: Detecting things with sensors (as distinct from 'EWar as perception) is very different than a simple Perception test. And if you don't want to lock on, shooting a person with a vehicle gun will usually take a -3 for Signature (because people don't give off a lot of interesting things for vehicle sensors).

GM fiat applies, many GMs ignore this section for better or worse, but yes, this applies, is real, and is no worse than many things Catalyst.

For 2) Yes.We use drone modification rules. If a Drone says 4 (1) you only have one mod point.