A Thought On Varying Damage For V2.2

[swaghauler]

Anyone who has the 2nd Edition Small Arms guide knows that there is a formula for calculating Damage Dice in the front of it. This formula gives you the number of Damage Dice based on the round's energy. I have modified this to break down pistol energies separately because I wanted pistols to use a D6 while rifles use a D10. By giving pistols MORE DICE, BUT SMALLER DICE, it helps the Penetration & armor system work better. For example, my system for PENETRATION uses Velocity modified by cross-sectional density to set PEN numbers by range band. Here are my PEN numbers:

VELOCITY AND PENETRATION NUMBERS:

999ft/sec or Less = PEN 4
1,000ft/sec to 1,999 = PEN 3
2,000ft/sec to 2,999 = PEN 2
3,000ft/sec to 3,999 = PEN 1
4,000ft/sec or more = PEN 1/2

So these Penetration numbers are set up to interact with BOTH Damage and Armor Values to approximate real-world caliber performance. For your further reference in the upcoming discussion, here are my Armor Ratings.

ARMOR VALUES:

NIJ Level I = 1/4 AV or PEN X 0.25
NIJ Level II or IIa (includes both) = 1/2 AV or PEN X 0.5
NIJ Level 3a = 1 AV or PEN X 1
NIJ Level 3 (rifle) = 2 AV or PEN X 2
Non-NIJ Level 3+ (rifle) = 3 AV or PEN X 3
NIJ Level 4 (rifle) = 4 AV or PEN X 3

Thus, modifying PEN by multiplying it by AV gives you the number of DAMAGE DICE lost. Those Damages are figured by Energy. Here is a loosely modified chart for both pistol and rifle damage based on the Small Arms Guide Formula (FFS's formula varies a bit). Please note that I have just slightly "tampered" with the formula by adjusting the final multiplier's rounding (up or down) as an experiment. These numbers are "just for example."

RIFLE ENERGY TO DAMAGE:
100ft-lbs or less = 1D10-1
101ft-lbs to 500ft-lbs = 1D10
501ft-lbs to 1,300ft-lbs = 2D10
1,301ft-lbs to 2,100ft-lbs = 3D10
2,101ft-lbs to 3,300ft-lbs = 4D10
3301ft-lbs to 5,000ft-lbs = 5D10
5,001ft-lbs to 7,000ft-lbs = 6D10
7,001ft-lbs to 9,500ft-lbs = 7D10

PISTOL ENERGY TO DAMAGE:
50ft-lbs or less = 1D6-1
51ft-lbs to 250ft-lbs = 1D6
251ft-lbs to 400ft-lbs = 2D6
401ft-lbs to 650ft-lbs = 3D6
651ft-lbs to 1,000ft-lbs = 4D6
1,001ft-lbs to 1,600ft-lbs = 5D6
1,601ft-lbs to 2,200ft-lbs = 6D6
2,201ft-lbs + = 7D6

So now that you have some data points to play with, here comes my question...

1) What if we were to use ALL of the DICE in our inventory for Damage? Would this not give us a greater range of Damages to draw on?

2) What about using different-sized dice to help model rounds that are hard to fit into this damage model? For example, the FN 5.7 round does about 250ft-lbs in muzzle energy (9mmP territory). However, it pushes through Level 2 body armor in pistol form despite having a 1,600ft/sec velocity (AV3). So, instead of giving it the 2D6 of a pistol round (or the 1D10 of a rifle), what if we gave it 3D4 Damage instead. At AV 1 (NIJ 3a), it punches through but does little damage, just like real life. At AV 1/2 (typical police soft body armor), it does 1D4 + 1D2 and penetrates the armor.

The Russian PSM in 5.45mm X 18mm is another example. Pushing a 39-grain bullet at 1,000ft/sec, the round develops 94ft-lbs of energy. This would give a PEN of 3 modified down to PEN 2 (for sectional density) but a Damage of 1D6. Its armor penetration capacity is not modeled correctly. You can "fudge it" by giving it a 1/2 PEN, but what if we looked at the Damage instead? It is in the middle of the Damage Range by muzzle energy. Maybe we put the damage at 2D4 instead of 1D6. Now its ability to punch through a level II vest is replicated.

Additionally, using the rest of the dice will allow for more variation in Damages for calibers. The .38 in a 4" barrel produces up to 250ft-lbs of energy. The .32ACP produces about 135ft-lbs. The .380 produces just over 200ft-lbs in most loadings. Yet, all three pistols do 1D6 Damage. What if the .32ACP did 1D6, the .380ACP did 1D8 and the .38 Special did 2D4 or even 1D10 Damage instead?

The real issue is how to integrate the other damage dice into the formula. I would say look at them as "percentages" of the parent Damage die. For example, the 9mmP does 2D6. Other pistols (with better penetration) could do 3D4. The .38 Special generally has around 75% of the energy of a 9mm. so giving it 2D4 or 1D8 would work.

So what do you think about utilizing ALL of the Dice to do damage?

This is still initially a "whiteboard" exercise for me but I'd love to hear your thoughts.