I ponderated and thought about this argument for a while, as this is becoming quite a regular thread on this board.
And now with calm i try to make up some sort of semi-decent opinion(answer?) about this problem.
keir451 wrote:I drop the stupid punch damage rule, you're not punching w/ that Rune Sword now are you, and add the Punch damage. Why? Because it is NOT SDC, it's MDC. So when your 10 strength teenager swings that Rune Sword he'll do the swords damage (1d4 x10), whena Sea Titan(or other SN being) swings that Rune Sword they'll do the sword's damage plus the Strength damage. The same applies to Augmented stregth and Robotic strength.
My opinion about the new rules about Melee megadamage in RUE are ambivalent. I don't think is a completely wrong concept, as learning a bit about melee wepaon, you understand that is how they work. They transmit strenght of the wielder. Plain and simple.
BUT!
Is an incomplete idea tha toculd work only if we tak in accoudnt he difference between the melee weapons.
because there is a difference. Melee weapons(also natural weapons) have various specific shapes for very specific reasons. Why claw are curved instead of being straight forward? Why a blade is a blade and a mace is a mace?ù
Reason are like those:
Edged/pointed weapon like Blades or SPears Transmit the user strength focusing on the thin surface. This is good for realitve weak user, as their strenght is focuse on a small surface. This increase the penetration value of the attack. That's why you cut(an head) wiht a blade and not with blunt weapon.
Blunt weapons like warhammers, spiked maces and short staves, instead, are more primitive(no surprise since was the first weapon used) relying on the strength and the mass/density to do damage. This is where stronger person could take advantage, as being stornger means they can wield with skills HEAVIER blunt weapons, doing more damage(at some point you essentially throw the equivalen of an anvil at your opponents). the advantag eother than greater damage is that being a storng kinetic damage has more chance to cause injury thorugh body armors.
Spears and long staves have another advnatage that is their length, allowing a greater range for hit.
In S.D.C. setting this would be hard to translate, but still easier to do than in Megadamage setting.
Because here we don't get the luxury of an Armor Rating(even if A.R. has its own share of flaws). Penetration in M.D.C. setting ALWAYS translate in extra damage. And There is not rules about if and how a sharp tough object should penetrate a M.D.C. armor .
So addint supernatural PS to melee weapon damage? Is a way to solve the problem, in a SIMPLE and FAST way.That could not fit with SDC rules, but sincerely you've to admit that no Megadamage related rule fit those, at all.
Or you could use my peronsal rules, result of ****** hours thinking about the problem. They are not perfect, and I doubt they are fast, but is another way to look at the problem
Edged weapon:
Normally we go critical strike. Generally on a natural 20, lower if you had an HtH skill at high level. You roll if and BAM double damage!
This for normal stregth.
Inhuman level of strength and edged weapons combined can work, well, differently. Since the blades and spears focus on so much smaller surface the immense strength behind they increase the chances of critical strike as follow.
Augmented Strength: only on an Megadamage worthy power punch and only with a PS of 31 or better add a +1 to strike roll, ONLY for the purpose of a "Natural" critical strike and nothing else(so a roll of 19 is now a natural 20).
Robotic Strength: +1 strike rolls on normal punch, +2 to strike roll on a power punch with a PS of 26 or better(same as above , so on a power punch a 18 is considered a natural 20)
Supernatural Strenght: +2 to strike rolls on normal punch and power punch on PS of 16 or better. But Power Punch critical strike add 50% more damage (so a natural 18 on a power punch that does 20 megadamage will do 50 megadamage and not 40 as critical strike)
Blunt weaponsBlunt weapons work in simpler manner. The heavier they are, the more damage they do.
Blunt weapons add +1d4 megadamage per 100lbs of weight.(same as telekinesis)
Supernatural Strong monster, when using a blunt weapon goes for something FREAKING heavy and big.
Also on a Critical strike the blunt weapon work lot like an heavy boulder falling onto you. Essentially some damage pass through the armor: 1d4 points of SDC are suffered for each 20 points of damage. So on a critical strike doing 50 Megadamage, inflict to a coalition soldier in full armor, 2d4 point of SDC damage. Given soldiers have larger amount of SDC is not likely to be deadly, still hurt.
Megadamage being suffer only 1 point of Megadamage per 10 point of damage, if wearing armor.
In both case there is the same chance of being stunned as a fall (01-40%) +10% if the damage exceed 40 Megadamage in one blow.
Energy FieldsEnergy fields are somethign people do not think when thinking about Melee megadamage . Vibro Weapons, TW flaming sword and other similar weapon do megadamage thank to the energy field transmitted along the weapon(these fields generally need a focused surface, an edge, in order to be more intense like a soldering torch). The strenght behind the weapon means little, as is the fields that do all the work.
But these weapon, dislike pure energy weapons like Psi-Swords, have a physical mass behind.
And when used by Supernatural Strong creature, like a Broadkill just to name one that absolutely LOVE vibroblades, there is the fact that the Strength alone combined with the blades will do megadamage. At that point the field DO add some damage, as is like the Supernatural strong being has his hand wrapped in the energy field.
The Bonus damage is minimal +1d6+3(derived form Aliens Unlimited), but present.
Giant WeaponsGiant weapons add +1d6 damage for being, well giant
My point is we should have ones scale.
Sorry. I didn't know.
