4e Mechanics & Rules Discussion

[Raellus]

About MGs, it seems like the Crit number should be lower than those for assault rifles. Without getting into a debate about the relative merits of various calibers of small arms rounds, it seems like an MG round should do more damage, not less, than an assault rifle round. Therefore, if I'm reading the rules right, an MG's Crit number should be the lower of the two. Am I missing something?

EDIT: Duh! MGs have a higher Damage rating, so lowering their Crit score would, arguably, make them OP.

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[unipus]

Yeah, it's already not hard to score crits with MGs. My issue is just that they don't seem all that different from rifles in play which I think leaves a bit of a hole when it comes to the small unit tactics that are the meat and butter here! (but yes, the same could be said of earlier editions as well)

[Ursus Maior]

Originally Posted by Raellus

About MGs, it seems like the Crit number should be lower than those for assault rifles.

When approaching this, I ask myself this: Does getting hit by a single bullet from a MG make a critical hit more likely? And I don't see the reason here.

What I could see is a higher Armor value, since often MGs have longer barrels, so their velocity is higher, thus they penetrate better. But that's slippery slope with a system that sacrifices granularity for speed.

[Raellus]

Regarding XP and skill progression, I have a clarifying question. IMHO, the rules aren't very clear on this.

Originally Posted by 4e Player's Manual, p40

To increase a skill level by one step costs a number of XP indicated in the table to the above right. You can only increase a skill level one step at a time. Learning a new skill (at skill level D) costs 5 XP

INCREASING SKILL LEVEL
TARGET LEVEL XP NEEDED
A 20
B 15
C 10
D 5

So, does it cost a TOTAL of 15 XP to advance from D to B, or does it cost 10 to advance from D to B, and then an additional 15 to advance from C to D?

I think it's the latter, but I'm not sure. What's your interpretation?

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[Desert Mariner]

Originally Posted by Raellus

So, does it cost a TOTAL of 15 XP to advance from D to B, or does it cost 10 to advance from D to B, and then an additional 15 to advance from C to D?

I think it's the latter, but I'm not sure. What's your interpretation?

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I don't have the 4E rules but based strictly on your excerpt, I'd say the cost is:

New Skill (D) = 5
Raise from D to C = +10 (total 15)
Raise from C to B = +15 (total 30)
Raise from B to A = +20 (total 50)

[unipus]

Yes, that's correct.

[Raellus]

I want to check my understanding of the Critical Injury rules (which are as follows).

CRITICAL INJURY: If the damage inflicted, after mitigation
by armor and cover, is equal to or higher than the crit
threshold of your weapon, you also inflict a critical injury
on the target.

Some weapons' Dam and Crit numbers are the same, so conceivably a single hit could generate a Critical Injury. However, most weapons' Crit number is higher than its Dam number (usually by one).

My question: For weapons in the latter category, is using ammo die the only way to generate a Critical Injury?

OR

Could Critical Injuries be generated from a scenario like the one that follows: In round 1, the player hits a target in the right arm for 2 damage (the player's weapon's Crit value is 3). In the next round, the player hits the target in the same arm for another 2 damage. Since the total damage to that body part is now 4, over the weapon's Crit score, is a Critical Injury generated?

Similarly, what if the player hits a different body part in the second round, still causes 2 points of damage. Now that the total damage to the target is 4, over the weapon's Crit score, is a Critical Injury generated?

In other words, does only the damage from a single shot or burst count towards generating a Critical Injury? Or, does cumulative damage do so as well? (And, if so, is it cumulative to a single body part, or cumulative for the target's entire body?)

Thanks, in advance.

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[Ursus Maior]

Option 2 is definitely not an intended reading and frankly, I don't see how this could be read into it. This would immediately generate additional edge cases for rules interpretation that would make it absurd to play by these rules.

However, I'm not sure, how to read your first option and I think there are several misunderstandings at place here.

Some weapons' Dam and Crit numbers are the same, so conceivably a single hit could generate a Critical Injury. However, most weapons' Crit number is lower than its Dam number (usually by one).

My question: For weapons in the latter category, is using ammo die the only way to generate a Critical Injury?

First of all, for most weapons the Crit value is on point higher than the Damage value. Weapons which have both ratings at the same level are exceedingly rare and these weapons are obviously meant to inflict critical hits against unarmored targets very easily (e. g. axe, grenade launcher, heavy machinegun). Heavier weapons and especially weapons under the "Artillery" category (i. e. 20 mm and upwards) usually have their Crit value above the Damage value, basically guaranteeing a critical hit, probably even against personnel in body armor or behind cover.

Now, I'm assuming you mixed up "lower" Crit number and "higher" Crit value in your initial statement, but ammo dice are by no means the only way to generate critical hits. Remember, you can generate up to 4 successes total without ammo dice, if your attribute and or skill level give you D10s and/or D12s.

Any additional success in the to-hit roll gives you +1 damage (p. 63, right above the paragraph on critical hits). So a regular soldier with Agility C and Ranged Combat C would roll 2D8 and could come up with 2 successes, enough to trigger a critical hit with his rifle against an unarmored target not in cover. A better trained professional soldier (Agility B, Ranged Combat B) could hope for a critical hit much more often, however, maybe even against armored targets or those behind cover.

Now, if opponents crouch themselves behind cover and are armor clad, then you might want to take aim with a good optic (+1) probably also seeking good support for your rifle (combined +2) or just let loose more rounds (1-6 ammo dice). Note, however, that successes on ammo dice also allow you to hit other targets, not just enhance damage on the initial target (p. 66).