Experience with A.R. in NB

For the discussion of Nightbane™ and its supplements.

Moderators: Immortals, Supreme Beings, Old Ones

User avatar
Xanador
D-Bee
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Aug 01, 2003 3:31 am

Experience with A.R. in NB

Unread post by Xanador »

It's been a long time since I ran a game, or posted to the forums, but I'm hoping to get one going soonish. The thing is the Armor Rating was just being introduced to the Morphus forms back then and I didn't use it because I didn't want to mix some tough Bane with AR and others without. Now DD has listed the A.R.'s for old tables and I'm thinking of using them, but what impact will it have on the game? Does anyone have some feedback on how this actually plays out?

Sorry if this is an old discussion but I didn't find anything when I looked.
dreicunan
Hero
Posts: 1344
Joined: Wed Jun 25, 2014 12:49 am

Re: Experience with A.R. in NB

Unread post by dreicunan »

Xanador wrote:It's been a long time since I ran a game, or posted to the forums, but I'm hoping to get one going soonish. The thing is the Armor Rating was just being introduced to the Morphus forms back then and I didn't use it because I didn't want to mix some tough Bane with AR and others without. Now DD has listed the A.R.'s for old tables and I'm thinking of using them, but what impact will it have on the game? Does anyone have some feedback on how this actually plays out?

Sorry if this is an old discussion but I didn't find anything when I looked.

Since it is tough to get bonuses to strike with modern weapons, high natural ARs have a tendency to make melee weapons scarier than guns. If you have a Natural AR 15, then the strike roll needs to be 16 or higher. If you are bursting with low level characters against that target (only a +1 to strike), then you need a 15 (+1 for 16) on the die, so you'll only succeed in doing damage 30% of the time (assuming no negative modifiers to the strike roll). That said, if you are still using the burst rules from Nightbane then that isn't necessarily a bad thing if you like your Nightbane to live, given the amount of damage that you can be putting out with a burst ("I'm going to full round burst your nightbane with my M60 for 5d6x20 damage" or "Oh, you are 200 yards away? I'm going to empty my AK-47/M-16 into you for 4d6x10, then reload, then do it again because I have 5 APM and you can't get to me in time because your speed is less than 40.")

Strike rolls are a bit easier to come by in melee, so you won't notice the natural AR as much.
Axelmania wrote:You of course, being the ultimate authority on what is an error and what is not.
Declared the ultimate authority on what is an error and what is not by Axelmania on 5.11.19.
User avatar
Nekira Sudacne
Monk
Posts: 15488
Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2003 7:22 pm
Comment: The Munchkin Fairy
Location: 2nd Degree Black Belt of Post Fu
Contact:

Re: Experience with A.R. in NB

Unread post by Nekira Sudacne »

Xanador wrote:It's been a long time since I ran a game, or posted to the forums, but I'm hoping to get one going soonish. The thing is the Armor Rating was just being introduced to the Morphus forms back then and I didn't use it because I didn't want to mix some tough Bane with AR and others without. Now DD has listed the A.R.'s for old tables and I'm thinking of using them, but what impact will it have on the game? Does anyone have some feedback on how this actually plays out?

Sorry if this is an old discussion but I didn't find anything when I looked.


It has a pretty significant impact if the GM rules that you have to roll above AR on a natural die roll or if your strike bonus's are included.

If the GM demands natural rolls over the AR, then it has a pretty significant impact on gameplay.

If the GM says that strike bonus's contribute, then it's effect tends to be modest at first and gradually declines into irrelevence later on as strike bonus's rise higher and higher. This is good for giving a feeling of growing power.

The books never actually says if Bonus's are included or not, so a lot of people think AR works one way and a lot thinks it works another way, and usually each side is convinced the other is wrong.
Sometimes, you're like a beacon of light in the darkness, giving me some hope for humankind. ~ Killer Cyborg

You can have something done good, fast and cheap. If you want it done good and fast, it's not going to be cheap. If you want it done fast and cheap it won't be good. If you want something done good and cheap it won't be done fast. ~ Dark Brandon
User avatar
eliakon
Palladin
Posts: 9093
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2007 9:40 pm
Comment: Palladium Books Canon is set solely by Kevin Siembieda, either in person, or by his approval of published material.
Contact:

Re: Experience with A.R. in NB

Unread post by eliakon »

The presence of AR also makes Darkblades a lot scarier/effective given their AR bypassing property.
The rules are not a bludgeon with which to hammer a character into a game. They are a guide to how a group of friends can get together to weave a collective story that entertains everyone involved. We forget that at our peril.

Edmund Burke wrote:The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
User avatar
Xanador
D-Bee
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Aug 01, 2003 3:31 am

Re: Experience with A.R. in NB

Unread post by Xanador »

I never really gave any thought to hitting AR not including a strike bonus. That sounds like a debate I'm glad I missed.

So it doesn't look like it makes that big a difference overall. No reason not to include it then, thanks for the input.
Post Reply

Return to “Nightbane®”