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Robot Damage
The damage capacity of a robot is the
number of hits it takes before being completely wrecked. Multiply the
enclosed volume of the robot (in liters) by 0.04. This is the total
number of hits each hit location of the robot can take before it is
destroyed. This is divided into three columns for slight, serious and
critical hits for non-vehicular robots. Vehicular robots are handled
in the same way as vehicles..
Battle Damage (Non-Vehicular Robots)
Non-vehicular robots sustain damage as if
they were people or animals. The robot's description will state which
column on the Personal Hit Location chart is to be used for that robot.
Head: This represents the
electronic center of the robot, and contains sensor systems and the robot's
CPU or brain. Slight damage has no effect, serious damage means one
sensor system is out of action. Critical damage means the robot's CPU
is damaged and the robot is "dead."
Right/Left Arm: Robots with a
number of arms other than two require some common sense on the part of the
referee. If a robot has only one arm, the right/left designation is
unneeded. If a robot has more than two arms, the referee should
distribute hits among the arms at random regardless of whether a right or
left hit was rolled. Slight damage has no effect (although when moved
the arm may begin to smoke or make grinding noises at the referee's option),
serious damage means the arm loses the use of any tools or attached weapons,
and critical damage means the arm has been blown off.
Chest: The chest on a robot
is where weapons and ammo are kept. Slight damage means one weapon
(chosen randomly if more than one is present) becomes inoperative for the
remainder of the turn. If no weapons are present, the damage has no
effect. Serious damage means a weapon (chosen randomly if more than
one is present) is put out of action permanently (if no weapon is present,
it represents damage to the fuel or batteries in the abdomen, and the
robot's speed is halved). Critical damaged means that an ammunition
explosion has occurred and the robot is rendered inoperative (dead).
Abdomen: This represents the
power plant of a robot. Slight damage means the robot begins to smoke
or make grinding noises (but otherwise there is no effect). Serious
damage means the robot is reduced to half speed. Critical damage means
the fuel has exploded or the batteries have been hit (drenching the insides
of the robot with acid), in either case, rendering the robot inoperative.
Right/Left Leg: Legs can
either mean a literal leg or another means of propulsion such as a track
unit or wheel. As in the case of arms, robots may have a number of
legs other than two or four, and the leg hits should be distributed at
random. Slight damage to a leg/track/wheel has no effect (although
again, at the referee's option, smoke and grinding noises may occur).
Serious damage reduces the speed by half (per leg), critical damage means
the leg is unusable. When 50 percent or more of a robot's legs are
unusable, it is immobilized (although all other systems may be operational).
Battle Damage (Vehicular Robots)
With the exception of different specific
results, the damage implementation system is the same as that used in
conventional vehicle combat. The specific results for robots are as
follows:
Crewmember/Passenger: If as a
result of a hull hit, this represents damage to the robot's CPU (Central
Processing Unit, its "brain"). Minor damage means that each task the
robot attempts to perform (firing one of its weapons, sending a message for
help, etc.) becomes two levels more difficult. Major damage puts the
robot out of action — killing it, in other words. If the result is a
turret hit, this represents damage to one of the robot's sensor systems,
picked at random by the referee. Any damage whatsoever puts this
system out of action (the type of damage is significant only when repairs
are attempted).
Radio: This represents damage
to a robot's communications equipment. This means the robot falls back
on its default programming, and can no longer receive instructions or
communications from elsewhere.
Engine: This represents
damage to the robot's power plant (either electrical or internal combustion).
Minor damage means that the robot can only move at half normal speed, and
that it cannot move and fire at the same time. Major damage means that
the robot may not move, and can only fire one weapon at a time.
If no weapon is present in the location
damaged, the hit becomes an ammunition hit. If no ammunition is
present in the location damaged, the hit has no effect.
Fuel: This represents damage
to the robot's power source, either the fuel tank or its rechargeable
batteries. Fuel hits are adjudicated as in conventional vehicle
combat. Battery hits result in the immobilization of the robot.
Ammo: Ammo hits are
adjudicated as in conventional vehicle combat.
Burn Damage
Burn damage against non-vehicular robots
is halved, to reflect the fact that machines are harder to damage by heat
than people. Being on fire completely destroys its sensors, however. |
