Parachuting question.

[say652]

Halo jumps.
Roll vs Parachuting skill.

What if an untrained individual wanted to Tandem jump using a Tandem harness.

Is that even possible from that height and the low chute opening?

Ideas to assign penalties?

-30% to the Parachuting skill check seems reasonable to me.

[Glistam]

Parachuting is one of the worst skill ideas Palladium ever introduced. You only get one or two rolls to avoid what's very likely instant death, and the percentage starts stupidly small. Just remove it from your game and let people pull a freaking ripcord.

[say652]

Skills play a major factor in my game. This skill allows for the creation of specialized soldiers.
Also balances the game between magic and psionic players.
Gives the High Tech Soldier a chance vs less skill orientated character types.

[guardiandashi]

Parachuting is one of the worst skill ideas Palladium ever introduced. You only get one or two rolls to avoid what's very likely instant death, and the percentage starts stupidly small. Just remove it from your game and let people pull a freaking ripcord.

I would look at it from the perspective of driving an automobile if you do "easy and basic" jumps no roll is actually required. or the roll is not needed for "survival" but to see how close you got to the target, and or if you "stick" the landing.
where you start needing to make checks that "matter" is if you are pushing the envelope, humping into hazardous terrain, getting into a firefight (or going through flack) on the way down and things like that.

[dragonfett]

I would also say that the percentage for the skill helps determine how close to the designated landing zone you can get, as well as how well you can pull off aerial tricks before pulling the ripcord.

[Glistam]

Parachuting is one of the worst skill ideas Palladium ever introduced. You only get one or two rolls to avoid what's very likely instant death, and the percentage starts stupidly small. Just remove it from your game and let people pull a freaking ripcord.

I would look at it from the perspective of driving an automobile if you do "easy and basic" jumps no roll is actually required. or the roll is not needed for "survival" but to see how close you got to the target, and or if you "stick" the landing.
where you start needing to make checks that "matter" is if you are pushing the envelope, humping into hazardous terrain, getting into a firefight (or going through flack) on the way down and things like that.

I agree with your thought on how the skill should probably be. That is not how it's written, however.

[say652]

Exactly, the nonskilled characters had to come up with another plan of entrance.
And they did.

Forced Evolution i like to call it.

[kaid]

Parachuting is one of the worst skill ideas Palladium ever introduced. You only get one or two rolls to avoid what's very likely instant death, and the percentage starts stupidly small. Just remove it from your game and let people pull a freaking ripcord.

I would look at it from the perspective of driving an automobile if you do "easy and basic" jumps no roll is actually required. or the roll is not needed for "survival" but to see how close you got to the target, and or if you "stick" the landing.
where you start needing to make checks that "matter" is if you are pushing the envelope, humping into hazardous terrain, getting into a firefight (or going through flack) on the way down and things like that.

Yes this. Although halo jumping is pretty technical and you need pretty specialized equipment normally although I guess with everybody using EBA armor is may not be as big of a deal as it would be today.

[Mack]

Parachuting in Rifts is silly for another reason... in a world of battery powered jet packs, why jump with a piece of silk? There ought to be more of the Spec Ops Mag 5 Jet Packs (CWC p104) for just this purpose. Or just spend 46,000cr for electric Triax model in SB1 that has a 700 mile range.

Not too mention it's a much better use of a precious skill slot.

[The Beast]

Parachuting is one of the worst skill ideas Palladium ever introduced. You only get one or two rolls to avoid what's very likely instant death, and the percentage starts stupidly small. Just remove it from your game and let people pull a freaking ripcord.

Have the skill represent the ability to pack the chute correctly instead.

Petty tyrants thrive when they have authority backed by vague regulations.

[The Beast]

What if an untrained individual wanted to Tandem jump using a Tandem harness.

Why would you have passengers make piloting checks?

Petty tyrants thrive when they have authority backed by vague regulations.

[Blue_Lion]

I do not think a failed parachuting roll means you do not open the chute and die. Normally deploying the chute is the easy part(just requires the cord pulled), static line jumps pull the cord for you. Skill rolls could be for hitting an exact spot, safely pulling the cord at the last instance and doing the mid air parachutist stack. It would also be used to avoid twisting your ankle or breaking a leg when landing in ruff terrain.

[Glistam]

I do not think a failed parachuting roll means you do not open the chute and die. Normally deploying the chute is the easy part(just requires the cord pulled), static line jumps pull the cord for you. Skill rolls could be for hitting an exact spot, safely pulling the cord at the last instance and doing the mid air parachutist stack. It would also be used to avoid twisting your ankle or breaking a leg when landing in ruff terrain.

According to R:UE, a failed roll means there are "complications" and either the chute does not open or opens late. You take 1D6x10+60 damage straight to H.P., even if you're in M.D.C. body armor.

[ShadowLogan]

Parachuting in Rifts is silly for another reason... in a world of battery powered jet packs, why jump with a piece of silk? There ought to be more of the Spec Ops Mag 5 Jet Packs (CWC p104) for just this purpose. Or just spend 46,000cr for electric Triax model in SB1 that has a 700 mile range.

Not too mention it's a much better use of a precious skill slot.

Why Parachute and not Jet Pack:
-Cost? How much does a Parachute cost compared to a Jet Pack?
-Stealth: once deployed the system is silent
-Disposable. Once on the ground, you could leave the cheaper (?) Parachute behind allowing maximum carrying capacity
-higher weight allowance during the drop? (impossible to determine given the lack of said info in various jet pack write ups)
-you disassemble a parachute for useful materials and get cord, straps, silk sheet(s), etc. You disassemble a jet pack and get ?
-higher deployment windows (sure you could free fall to the max alt. of a Jet Pack, but will the Jet pack have enough time to slow you down safely?)

That doesn't mean a Jet Pack doesn't have advantages of its own over a parachute, but depending on how the jet pack/parachute is to factor into the mission...

[say652]

If you don't know how to pilot a parachute, you over steer the controls and the chute collspses.....and you die.
Irl.

[dragonfett]

If you don't know how to pilot a parachute, you over steer the controls and the chute collspses.....and you die.
Irl.

That is if it's one that can be steered. A simple round parachute wouldn't have controls, would it?

[Nightmask]

If you don't know how to pilot a parachute, you over steer the controls and the chute collspses.....and you die.
Irl.

That is if it's one that can be steered. A simple round parachute wouldn't have controls, would it?

Well it could mean you started tumbling or otherwise were at a non-optimum angle when you pulled the cord causing the parachute to deploy in a way that you tangle up in it due to mistiming things.

[glitterboy2098]

If you don't know how to pilot a parachute, you over steer the controls and the chute collspses.....and you die.
Irl.

That is if it's one that can be steered. A simple round parachute wouldn't have controls, would it?

actually since the development of parachute infantry in the 1920's and 1930's, the round chutes have had limited steering. by pulling on different sets of cords you can cause the chute to deform in certain ways, making it shift direction slowly. and the chutes used since WW2 have had a cutout at the back, creating a funnel effect to give the chute a bit of forward thrust as it falls, making steering easier.

but if you are concerned with needing to steer in the air, you want to use a Ram-air chute design. round chutes can basically be steered just enough to avoid running into other chutes as you fall, or avoid larger terrain dangers.

of course, if you dropping large numbers of troops at once, you want the round chutes because having lots of people trying to fly around at once near each other in the same airspace drives the risk of collision and entanglement or other accidents way up.

steerable chutes are generally used for small team or squad level insertions, like special ops, while round chutes still dominate platoon and up drops.

and of course round chutes are the standard for cargo and vehicle drops.

If you don't know how to pilot a parachute, you over steer the controls and the chute collspses.....and you die.
Irl.

That is if it's one that can be steered. A simple round parachute wouldn't have controls, would it?

Well it could mean you started tumbling or otherwise were at a non-optimum angle when you pulled the cord causing the parachute to deploy in a way that you tangle up in it due to mistiming things.

actually this is why when you look at parachutes, they have that little chute or a long ribbon that comes out first. the pilot chute. this serves two purposes.. first, it helps give the energy needed to pull the main chute out of the bag. but it also helps to orient the wearer so the chute deploys in the right way, by slowing down any tumbling or bad orientation, by creating drag in a specific fashion.

[Blue_Lion]

Looking at the skills parachuting will quickly pas jet packs in skill% after level 3. For PB skills it is a decent % for the skill, better than piloting a jet. They never say you have to use the skill on all jumps, static line jumps the chute is opened by the line when you leave the air craft, typically LOLO are static line jumps.
I would say most likely it is only the high risk jumps that would require a roll. Just as basic vehicle use do not always require a roll. I would house rule it a little different.
Military airborne training is fairly safe two deaths shut down all operations because deaths are so rare and having two in a short time frame sent up red flags.

Most injuries sustained from air born ops are not life threatening, i am not sure how much the writer actually knows about paratroopers. They might have just went with a flat worse case failure, but I see that as more a critical failure than a standard failure. remember you can always modify a roll as a gm based on conditions or house rule.

[say652]

The Ninja Borg, attempted it without the skill.
30% roll, chute opened and unable to steer crashed into some trees, drawing the guards attention to the area.

[eliakon]

Looking at the skills parachuting will quickly pas jet packs in skill% after level 3. For PB skills it is a decent % for the skill, better than piloting a jet. They never say you have to use the skill on all jumps, static line jumps the chute is opened by the line when you leave the air craft, typically LOLO are static line jumps.
I would say most likely it is only the high risk jumps that would require a roll. Just as basic vehicle use do not always require a roll. I would house rule it a little different.
Military airborne training is fairly safe two deaths shut down all operations because deaths are so rare and having two in a short time frame sent up red flags.

Most injuries sustained from air born ops are not life threatening, i am not sure how much the writer actually knows about paratroopers. They might have just went with a flat worse case failure, but I see that as more a critical failure than a standard failure. remember you can always modify a roll as a gm based on conditions or house rule.

True, if you apply some house rules the skill starts to be workable.
But Glistam still has a point that as written the skill is rather silly and just begs to be house ruled.

[SpiritInterface]

Halo jumps.
Roll vs Parachuting skill.

What if an untrained individual wanted to Tandem jump using a Tandem harness.

Is that even possible from that height and the low chute opening?

Ideas to assign penalties?

-30% to the Parachuting skill check seems reasonable to me.

If the "passenger" of the tandem jump is co-operating there should be no problems or penalties. As for is it possible, yes as long as the equipment was available. Harness, chute, breathing apparatus...

[kaid]

Looking at the skills parachuting will quickly pas jet packs in skill% after level 3. For PB skills it is a decent % for the skill, better than piloting a jet. They never say you have to use the skill on all jumps, static line jumps the chute is opened by the line when you leave the air craft, typically LOLO are static line jumps.
I would say most likely it is only the high risk jumps that would require a roll. Just as basic vehicle use do not always require a roll. I would house rule it a little different.
Military airborne training is fairly safe two deaths shut down all operations because deaths are so rare and having two in a short time frame sent up red flags.

Most injuries sustained from air born ops are not life threatening, i am not sure how much the writer actually knows about paratroopers. They might have just went with a flat worse case failure, but I see that as more a critical failure than a standard failure. remember you can always modify a roll as a gm based on conditions or house rule.

For standard drops most of your "rolling" would be on landing not if the chute works or not. With things like EBA a lot of the standard dangers of parachuting also go poof. Hard to sprain your ankle or knee to bad when the armor simply is not going to let your leg bend that far wrong. On most standard jumps if the chute deploys at all the only thing to really roll for would be trying to hit a really small target area and or doing so stylishly or face planting on landing to the derision of your group mates.

[J_cobbers]

I wouldn't roll for getting the cute to open on a routine jump. I would ask for the skill roll if: there was some sabotage/damage to the cute before the jump, it was packed improperly, or struggling with an opponent during the free fall like in many action movies. In difficult circumstances like a night jump, a jump in high winds, or a low altitude cute opening, I would roll for the landing to see if the character was able to do so without injuring them self from landing too hard (spraining an ankle, breaking a leg), dropping a piece of equipment/weapon, or lastly land on target as may be appropriate for the circumstances.

[kaid]

The funny thing is in rifts if you are wearing hard EBA armor most of the bad things that could happen in parachuting short of falling the entire way with no chute really don't impact you much. It would keep you from the standard foots sprain/leg injury issue, hitting trees/poles won't do much other than ring your bell even if you wind up getting tangled up with another chute it winds up slowing you enough that with the body armor you wind up with minimal to no injuries.

[Blue_Lion]

The funny thing is in rifts if you are wearing hard EBA armor most of the bad things that could happen in parachuting short of falling the entire way with no chute really don't impact you much. It would keep you from the standard foots sprain/leg injury issue, hitting trees/poles won't do much other than ring your bell even if you wind up getting tangled up with another chute it winds up slowing you enough that with the body armor you wind up with minimal to no injuries.

Nope. You can still get foot sprains/leg injuries in EBA.
There is a 20% chance to take damage even if you are wearing armor and make the landing.
Getting tangled up in another chute does not mean it slows you enough to get no injures, I think that would be an example of a failed roll.

[say652]

I had the Ninja Borg take 3md to the main body from the high speed crash landing. I was going to use highspeed crash rules but figured the chute even improperly used slowed the descent enough to lessen the damage.