roll to strike?

[Hav0k]

Ok, what bothers me is that in p150 of the Main Chaos Earth book, you find and example of handling dodging bullets, and you read the following:

"Any roll above 10 at close range or at a (relatively) stationary target strikes:12 hits if shooting at a moving target."

Where does this come from?? In previous paragraphs you find that it is 4 or more to strike at close range, 8 at long range and 10 to hit fast moving targets.

Something is missing? I forgot to read something? Can someone explain the differences?

[Mike Taylor]

It comes from bad editing. Use whichever value you feel is most appropriate.

[Hav0k]

Frankly, I also thought it might be bad editing.

What made me wonder is that this example is new to all Palladium books I have read.

But what confuses me is that this also appears in the previous page (p149), with a full paragraph mentioning "Shooter Considerations & Penalties". Again the "12 or more to strike a moving target" appears clearly explaining, and contradicting "again" what was said before...

I know a lot of people (even PB) end up saying "use what you like", but this is really uncomfortable and confusing when within a few pages you find 2, 3 or more rules for the same thing.

As always, an "official", or at least "expert" comment will help clarify things....

[Hav0k]

Ya know, now that I think about it, isnt it 4 stationary, 8 longrange stationary, 12 moving target for *energy* weapons, because the lasers are so fast (speed of light) they so rarely miss as compared to BULLETS (speed of sound) which arent nearly as fast and then have to roll higher numbers as a result of the increased difficulty lvl drop off, wind, shorter effective range bullets: 1200ft vs lazers: 6000ft range... I'm curious, which section of the book are you looking at ?

Ok, I have it right here.....
(This is from Rifts Chaos Earth. I have not found this on Rifts book, but I have been told that this seems exactly like a new section on the New Revised Rifts Conversion book, which I dont have. I only have the old one)

p147: Paragraph just before "Burst", about Called shots
"One must roll a 12 or higher to hit a small, stationary target. Moving or dodging targets are more difficult to hit and require a roll of 12 or higher..."
This MUST BE a typo....

p148: Paragraph at the end of the 1st column, with title "Range and Targeting"
There you find the 5, 8, 10 to strike rules....

p149: middle of the second column, "Shooter considerations &Penalties":
Whole paragraph marked "1"
"12 or higher (12-20) hits a moving target"
Now THIS is the first time I see this in the book.

p150: end of the first column:
"The Way I play this....."
"...Any roll above 10 at close range or a (relatively) stationary target strikes; 12 hits if shooting at a moving target..."
HERE again things change.... Wasnt this 10 to hit a moving target? (from p148)


This is what I have been looking...

[Hav0k]

As I understand it from the Rifts Game Masters Guide Book its 5 to hit a stationary target, 8 for a long range stationary target, 12 for moving targets or targets that are quite small (GM adds difficulty).

BUT if you're using MDC weapons, within 400 ft (close range) most OCCs get no dodge roll at all, only specialty classes like Juicers and some Ninja OCC even get an OPTION to dodge at close ranges and as the book said at -8 moving, -10 stationary on their dodge roll.

Another time you don't get to dodge is when more then 2 people are shooting you at once, so if a squad of dead boys opens fire on you, you don't get to roll a dodge, but special rules say if you spend the entire round running away from one cover spot to the next for the entire melee round you're at -6 to hit. (Kevin also mentions here that at the end of the melee round if you've spent all of it fleeing you have the option of trying to hide?!) Maybe that rule was invented for gorilla style tactics to work better in-game.

It also goes on to say that If you're forced to dodge MDC weapons fire at normal and long range, you do so with no bonuses to dodge so its a straight unmodified dodge roll, and you *only* get to dodge if you're aware of the target and can see it shooting at you, so in other words if someone were to spray your camp with grenades while you're in your tent making Tea, you don't see it ccoming and you don't get to dodge.

Now this all makes sense when you bring the "MDC" word.... This was not clear (for me) when I read it. But if you take into account "MDC weapons", or "energy weapons", as you did, this makes sense...

I personally love the instantaneous attack rule in which you're allowed to hold back and wait to engage your opponent until right when he's attacking you, so that you can consistently shoot him without him getting a chance to roll a dodge.

This sounds good... were is this rule exactly?