Topic: Creation of Elemental Wall attack table

[markc]

 For quite some time now I have been thinking about creating an elemental wall attack table (and then specific elemental wall element crit charts, but the wall table first) but I wanted some input from others.
 The main point I was wondering about is that I was just going to create a table with the broad specific armor types, ie none, soft leather, hard leather, chain and plate with a possible expansion to modern and future armors also.
   What do you think about that? Or is it better to do the old style RM2/RMSS table with 1-20 and I-XX?


 My main sticking point with the elemental walls and how they work right now is it seems almost all or noting, ie you take a really bad crit but what I envision is taking damage with a chance of a crit, higher crit or multiple crits.
  Right now I plan on doing the fire table first and then adjusting the table (up or down) for other crit types but if you have a better idea I would love to hear it.


Thanks
MDC

[Defendi]

I think a full 1-20 table. The various leathers, for instance, probably have a wide range of protection inside each type.

PM me if you want my attack chart creation spread sheet.

[MrApollinax]

Neat idea. Opens up some fun possibilities for Spell Mastery (like giving an OB for the attack, something along the lines of Spell Mastery bonus less some figure derived from the target's manuever roll). Or Spell Mastering the wall such that it can move as the caster concentrates...

[markc]

Defendi,
 I would love the Excel chart, I sent you a PM a couple of days ago with my email address, it should be the same one as you have on file for your game products.
MDC

[Hurin]

 My main sticking point with the elemental walls and how they work right now is it seems almost all or noting, ie you take a really bad crit but what I envision is taking damage with a chance of a crit, higher crit or multiple crits.
  Right now I plan on doing the fire table first and then adjusting the table (up or down) for other crit types but if you have a better idea I would love to hear it.

I agree that the idea of just giving a random critical is not ideal; to me too, the wall should do more stable hit-point damage, with criticals only coming higher up the chart. So I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

[yammahoper]

Can you parry a wall?

As I have never had a problem will elemental walls delivering a set critical, AND since an attack could mean high DB characters could ignore walls that will always miss due to low OB, I think this is a bad idea.

Tomato, tomatoe.

[jdale]

You can't Parry a Fireball either. You can only use your Quickness DB and any DB derived from items or spells. I'm not sure that Quickness DB makes sense if passing through a wall, but it makes sense to me that a spell like "Enchanted Clothes" (that grants +10 DB) could help. And if armor helps against a Fire Bolt and a Fire Ball, shouldn't it also help when you jump through a Wall of Fire?

The odd thing about walls is that they inflict very few concussion hits. A wall of fire might make you die (1% chance), but under no circumstances will it inflict more than 16 hits, and usually less than 10. An attack table would presumably increase the number of hits.

[MrApollinax]

Parry should be irrelevant, so too DB...but armour, speed and execution of any attempt to maneuver through should have an effect. Consider the situation where three characters are confronted by a roiling wall of fire (and an angry Noble Gogonaur at their backs).

Capella (a lightly armored Bard), Bob Atrocity (a lummox in chain) and Sedest the unarmored Monk all attempt to leap or run through it. Bob Atrocity is just going have lumber through and hope for the best (and some decent protection from his armor), Sedest utilise his high ranks in Sprinting and Capella might attempt a Tumbling maneuver (and hope his leather jerkin doesn't crisp too much). Surely - even before rolling dice - there should be different results for all three?

[markc]

 I have thought about all of your points and have at times wondered about them also.
   ie all or nothing? Do I really need to create a chart? Should elemental walls be more powerful than they are now? (IMHO I have tended on the side of yes to this question) Should DB matter for items? Should Qu bonus matter? Does the time you spend inside the elemental wall affect the crit and damage? Or is it simply 1 roll per pass-through no matter how quick or slow you are per a given time period?


 So my plan right now is to create the chart using Deffendi's Excel sheet (I have not taken a look at it yet), keeping in mind I want more damage (hits) with the possibility of the crits and higher crits, but also adding in magic item and spell notes to make the walls less deadly to those that have access to them. ie more deadly to commoners and less deadly to those that have basic items and spells.
Thanks
MDC

[Spectre771]

Does the time you spend inside the elemental wall affect the crit and damage? Or is it simply 1 roll per pass-through no matter how quick or slow you are per a given time period?

All of the points mentioned and discussed thus far are great and make for some fun number crunching, but this point stuck out for me.  Speed/amount of time spent WITHIN the wall should matter, either through an additional roll for each round whilst stuck/passing through the wall, or a +## added to the roll which increases with each round whilst in the wall, or even an increase in Crit Severity.  If one passes through a wall of fire, the target has to hold his breath and is getting burned.  If he stays an additional round, things on his person may start to ignite, and he still has to hold his breath and keep his eyes closed.  There should be one heck of a penalty for being stuck in the wall for a 3rd round given a round lasts roughly 6-10 seconds.  Spending 18-30 seconds within a wall of fire can be pretty devastating.

Similar arguments can be made for nearly any elemental wall type. 

Water: holding breath, being swept off feet/unbalanced by turbulence, disoriented and moving along the length of the wall rather than walking through
Air: Holding breath, or worse vacuum crits, dirt/debris swirling, eyes closed, unbalancing crits, smaller attacks from debris striking the target
Cold: Holding breath, cold, slower movement as armour freezes.

I don't know if RMU will handle elements the way RM2: Elemental Companion did by using Proto Elemental Material and PEM Poisoning.  If so, any target caught in the wall and breathing in the PEM would also have to contend with the effects of PEM Poisoning.

[VladD]

Volatile/ controlled walls can be fun, but I rather see them as traps. It also makes it consistent with the treatment of (many) traps: doling out criticals to see how much the character is affected.

I see it as a condition that affects crossing to a hedged square or hex. Just as walking on virgin lava or walking in a spray of steam: there is really no escape or reprieve, perhaps through luck.

[markc]

 Sorry, this mini project has gone on hold as I have been dealing with some rather crazy computer problems. Hopefully I will be able to straiten them out and then find the time to make the table.
MDC