[HOE] I'm Back, Massive Damage (Aargh), and Fate Chips

[PEGHopler@aol.com]

Hey Everyone,

As you've probably already heard I'm back on the listserv. Thanks to everyone 
who sent me e-mails saying they hope I'm feeling better.

I was hoping to ease back into this with an easy question, but since massive 
damage seems to be the topic of the day, I'll guess I'll take a shot.

First, the rules were changed because the original massive damage rules were 
woefully wimpy when dealing with explosions. I would have preferred to make 
the number of hits inflicted 1d4, but that simply doesn't work with the blast 
radius rules (a d20 blast in its 5th radius would inflict 1d4-4 hits). 

I agree that these new rules make things much more deadly, sometimes overly 
so. I had wanted to put a list of revised damages for grenades, exploding 
automatons, and such in Iron Oasis but someone in the Pinnacle office (who 
shall remain nameless) told me not to. I intend to ignore the aforementioned 
person and put a list of revised damages in Waste Warriors. 

As far as the rules slowing things down, I really haven't had that experience 
in my group. There's a little more figuring when it comes to damage to PCs, 
but I've found it actually speeds up working out damage against grunts. If a 
goon NPC takes hits in more than 2 locations, I just mark him down as dead 
because there's very little chance he'll survive.

One of the new rules appearing in Waste Warriors is one that allows heroes to 
vamoose against explosions and throw themselves prone (This is actually 
possible under the current rules, but I figured given the controversy the new 
massive damage rules have caused , it should be explicitly stated). Going 
prone reduces the number of possible hit locations. As usual, hits rolled for 
these locations are simply ignored.

Fate Chips: Heroes don't need a justification for spending Fate Chips--they 
just do it. I think the confusion about this is due to the other way in which 
heroes can avoid damage: vamoosin'. The vamoose rules do state that the hero 
must do something in order to avoid the damage: ducking behind a wall, going 
prone, etc.

John Hopler
HOE Brand Manager
Pinnacle