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Author Topic: The Gamemasters' Encounter Sandbox  (Read 8308 times)

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Re: The Gamemasters' Encounter Sandbox
« Reply #15 on: November 05, 2018, 01:15:40 pm »
Quote from: MERC_1 on November 05, 2018, 05:29:17 am
Quote from: StevenO on November 03, 2018, 09:28:26 pm
Minaturized Accurate Blaster Carbine*

* Denotes character building choices that could be altered and in the case of integrate equipment things which may not be allowed.
I just have to ask, how do you get an Accurate Blaster Carbine? That is one impressive piece of equipment! Is there a precedent to this somewhere?

Awesome build by the way! I expect you to get some use out of your technical skills as you have a cannon and lots of other tech. A cannon is a prime target and may need repairs or help boosting the fire-power...
It's "Accurate" as in it has the Improved Accuracy Tech Specialist feature added to it.  Now beyond that there in absolutely NOTHING wrong with having a weapon that is both Accurate (no attack penalty at short range) and Inaccurate (No long range attacks at all) at the same time; range modifiers would effectively be 0/0/-5/NA.  As for that piece of Tech the desire is simply to get something down to small size (so it can be used as integrated equipment instead of needing a proper weapon mount) with good damage and autofire capability to utilize Burst Fire.  Could put in some kind of Pistol instead but then it'd need the Rapid Recycler upgrade to gain an autofire ability.

There is a cannon mentioned but I'm not sure time would permit modification and during the "heat of battle" I'm not sure how effective repairs would be although perhaps Jury-Rigging might be possible.  Starting out with +14 in Mechanics and then throwing in +6 with a Mastercraft tool kit and probably another +5 from Fool's Luck and DC 25 is a can't miss.  The sad thing is I'm not sure Tyro should run the cannon especially if those Chiss Heavy Weapon Specialists (CHWS) are available; giving up his +4 DEX mod to run his HRB in exchange for the Atgar's +1 fire control is a hit to attack and while (3d10+5)x2 is impressive (43 ave) it's getting compared to the same, without multiplier, over a larger area or comparing it to 5d10+5 which is still 33 average damage but at a higher attack value.  With their lower DEX bonus and avoiding the autofire attack penalty the CHWS actually would have a better chance hitting with the Atgar than they would using a HRB and Weapon Specialization really needs those multipliers to pay off.  You see this is how the mind of a tactical genius would work.
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Re: The Gamemasters' Encounter Sandbox
« Reply #16 on: November 05, 2018, 05:40:15 pm »
Looking for 1-2 more for this encounter to be balanced properly. Multiple entries are fine...but I'd worry about fatigue for a single player running multiple.
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Re: The Gamemasters' Encounter Sandbox
« Reply #17 on: November 06, 2018, 11:14:18 pm »
Quote from: sienn_sconn on November 03, 2018, 05:20:32 pm
...

Battle armor, 25500 cr, 50 kg
-   Start with battle armor, 16 kg, 7000 cr
-   Normal (2 slots), for powered exoskeleton, 4000 cr, 5 kg
-   Stripped joint protection (1 slot, doubles base weight of armor, 3500 cr), for internal generator, 1000 cr, 10 kg
-   Superior Tech modification, increase armor’s equipment bonus to Fortitude defense by 2, 2000 cr (doubled for cost)
-   Durasteel template, 1000 cr
-   Helmet package (0 slots), 4000 cr, 1 kg
-   Vacuum seals (0 slots), 2000 cr, 2 kg
...
This is starting with normal Battle Armor?  Then you're going to be an upgrade slot short as errata has most armor, including medium and heavy weights, just getting 1 Upgrade Slot.  POWERED Armor would get a second slot.  The Beskar'gam (Mandalorian) armor also gets 2 upgrade slots despite not being powered armor.
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Re: The Gamemasters' Encounter Sandbox
« Reply #18 on: November 07, 2018, 02:48:15 pm »
Quote from: StevenO on November 06, 2018, 11:14:18 pm
Quote from: sienn_sconn on November 03, 2018, 05:20:32 pm
...

Battle armor, 25500 cr, 50 kg
-   Start with battle armor, 16 kg, 7000 cr
-   Normal (2 slots), for powered exoskeleton, 4000 cr, 5 kg
-   Stripped joint protection (1 slot, doubles base weight of armor, 3500 cr), for internal generator, 1000 cr, 10 kg
-   Superior Tech modification, increase armor’s equipment bonus to Fortitude defense by 2, 2000 cr (doubled for cost)
-   Durasteel template, 1000 cr
-   Helmet package (0 slots), 4000 cr, 1 kg
-   Vacuum seals (0 slots), 2000 cr, 2 kg
...
This is starting with normal Battle Armor?  Then you're going to be an upgrade slot short as errata has most armor, including medium and heavy weights, just getting 1 Upgrade Slot.  POWERED Armor would get a second slot.  The Beskar'gam (Mandalorian) armor also gets 2 upgrade slots despite not being powered armor.

Dang it!  How did I miss that in the errata?! 



Back to the drawing board . . . . .
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Re: The Gamemasters' Encounter Sandbox
« Reply #19 on: November 09, 2018, 12:00:34 pm »
In the absence of other players, I'd like to add another to make the party at least a little more balanced.

RA-JR is a fun project I did to see what sort of budget build I could make using the stock chassis of the B1-battle droid from the core rulebook. The remote receiver was stripped out and replaced with a heuristic processor and a few modifications were added, all for less than 5000 (including the penalty price for removing remote receiver). Apart from that, I tried to keep the weapons and equipment as cheap as the original chassis.

RA-JR is a ranged support attacker that makes full use of the steadying position feat. At level ~11, the build is lacking the upper-level gunslinger talents that would really make it shine as a ranged support, so I left it at Gunslinger 1 and gave it soldier 5 for Tough As Nails to keep it in the fight longer. Steven I'm sure you'll spot any irregularities in the build so let me know if you do!

Spoiler: 'RA-JR' (hover to show)
« Last Edit: November 23, 2018, 08:24:01 am by FakDendor »
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Re: The Gamemasters' Encounter Sandbox
« Reply #20 on: November 09, 2018, 12:34:07 pm »
Quote from: FakDendor on November 09, 2018, 12:00:34 pm
In the absence of other players, I'd like to add another to make the party at least a little more balanced.
...

When 10th-level is normally my "target build" I have a couple more to bring out that were originally intended as part of a DoD crew.

He man not be fully fleshed out yet (mostly in equipment) but here's a Wookie "Scout" take although it does utilize the basic CT-Killer mechanics but with Wookie drawbacks (aka a -2 DEX penalty.)
Spoiler (hover to show)

Unlike Tyro this furball is more about survival and wilderness adventure.  You want guerilla tactics and he could be a go to that you drop of on a planet and pick up later after a world of hurt.

Edit:  Made some updates.
« Last Edit: November 13, 2018, 05:56:16 pm by StevenO »
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Re: The Gamemasters' Encounter Sandbox
« Reply #21 on: November 09, 2018, 05:19:58 pm »
With four PCs, I'll leave recruitment open another day or so if any more are interested, then I'll post a battle map and allow some initial set-up for PCs before the encounter begins.
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Re: The Gamemasters' Encounter Sandbox
« Reply #22 on: November 09, 2018, 06:40:18 pm »
Quote from: StevenO on November 03, 2018, 09:28:26 pm
Fortunately I plan my characters for 10th-level although that doesn't always mean I have them written down and especially all calculated out.  Here are the basics for my multipurpose Duros that I'll call Tyro.

Spoiler (hover to show)

I know it may be a stretch, but you could try to press in the Riflemaster feat somehow. That would help with your damage a bit, upgrading to D12 for the main weapon. Also it would let you brace your backup weapon as well.
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Re: The Gamemasters' Encounter Sandbox
« Reply #23 on: November 09, 2018, 07:01:47 pm »
Quote from: FakDendor on November 09, 2018, 12:00:34 pm
...

RA-JR is a fun project I did to see what sort of budget build I could make using the stock chassis of the B1-battle droid from the core rulebook. The remote receiver was stripped out and replaced with a heuristic processor and a few modifications were added, all for less than 5000 (including the penalty price for removing remote receiver). Apart from that, I tried to keep the weapons and equipment as cheap as the original chassis.

RA-JR is a ranged support attacker that makes full use of the steadying position feat. At level ~11, the build is lacking the upper-level gunslinger talents that would really make it shine as a ranged support, so I left it at Gunslinger 1 and gave it soldier 5 for Tough As Nails to keep it in the fight longer. Steven I'm sure you'll spot any irregularities in the build so let me know if you do!

Spoiler: 'RA-JR' (hover to show)
Oh where do I start!?

The stock B1 is a pretty horrible place to start from especially for a droid intended to join a group of PC types.  I'll point out the NH3 makes this a 13th-level character as far as PCdom would could and you get lots of suck from it.  If building a droid for PC uses it's much better to use the Custom creation in the SECR (which actually doesn't give you a lot more options than a normal species might get) or the Chassis types in SGtD where the Battle Droid Chassis is pretty much everything the B1 is but more and with heroic levels. 

I don't have the specifics written down but a Custom build I was thinking had improved the locomotive system to multiple legs (treated as multiple legs or just improved legs providing the same effect), added a telescoping claw appendage and a Stabilized Tool Mount (the "Stabilized Mounts" are just for tools but are great for holding those large range weapons), and then I believe some kind of sensor package and maybe a little storage.  Future upgrades would of course include Shield Generators.  I'd pictured it as some kind of centaur (actually more scorpion like but 4 legs to walk and hands for business) like droid where the telescoping claw could be seen as a long, prehensile tail and the stabilized tool mount is just basically a "built in" weapon of some kind.

When it comes to build I'd remind you that levels in NH count toward PrCs.  It possible to enter Gunslinger (getting to just CL3) without ever touching a heroic class before you get there although I believe it does tie up all of your feats. Not sure the talents you're looking at but you probably could get in Gunslinger levels instead of some of those included.  I'm also not a fan of Power Blast unless I'm missing something here; the only reason I generally consider Power Attack is when using a two handed weapons so -1 attack for +2 damage but when it's only 1:1 the benefit is far less useful unless the ONLY thing you are going for is throwing for critical hits.  Generally, giving up attack bonus for damage is something best avoided unless you're getting a favorable exchange; Burst Fire's -5 for +2d damage is almost questionable with a d8 based weapon but much easier with d10+ weapons and with only a -2 attack penalty the damage bonus is much higher.

I do applaud the combo of Steadying Position, Careful Shot, Cunning Attack with Dastardly Strike.  I'll note that Knockdown Shot (Aim-hit-knock target prone) could be detrimental here as Prone targets are MUCH harder to hit with other ranged attacks; they might be great in close but not at range.  Weakening Strike has similar issues because while putting the target at -5 attack/damage in Melee is nice just pushing it down the CT is already hurting the attack while making it easier for to hit and hurt; because you're probably using that combo I mentioned to do this and it requires Aiming to work that would make Debilitating Shot work in the same circumstances for the -2 steps which is a bigger penalty and longer recovery time.

In a single encounter environment Tough as Nails isn't all that great because you're still limited to taking Second Wind once/encounter.  The Unstoppable Combatant feat "Scales" has gets around that which is why he probably can use all three Second Winds.  Indomitable could be more useful for fighting the YV due to Ampistaffs but when droids are immune to the poison it doesn't make a big difference there.

Sorry for the big critique but you should know that Tyro would be making an extensive evaluation of those he works with even if they don't like it.  He may wonder how well the Trandoshan would fair in the encounter as presented now but the YV are known to enjoy their melee and if he can keep them off the guns and attract additional attention then he's probably alright.
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Re: The Gamemasters' Encounter Sandbox
« Reply #24 on: November 09, 2018, 11:17:38 pm »
Quote from: MERC_1 on November 09, 2018, 06:40:18 pm
Quote from: StevenO on November 03, 2018, 09:28:26 pm
Fortunately I plan my characters for 10th-level although that doesn't always mean I have them written down and especially all calculated out.  Here are the basics for my multipurpose Duros that I'll call Tyro.

Spoiler (hover to show)
I know it may be a stretch, but you could try to press in the Riflemaster feat somehow. That would help with your damage a bit, upgrading to D12 for the main weapon. Also it would let you brace your backup weapon as well.

With Tyro?  That isn't going to help much when his "primary" weapon is a HRB and not an HBR.  That's Heavy REPEATING Blaster instead of Heavy Blaster Rifle although I can see where the issue comes from.  Probably should drop the Rangefinder (probably miniaturize the thing instead) on the HRB especially here as it sounds like most of the "field of battle" is going to be inside the 50 square range that is POINT BLANK for heavy weapons.  Of course Tyro's pre-battle thought will be to try to push the open field back more beyond 60 square (which is still Short Range for Rifles and only medium range for Pistols/Thug Bugs!)  Certainly do like the idea of an encounter where range will matter.

Now back to the primary weapon choice for Tyro the HRB is an easy selection over a HBR because of ammunition issues.  With 30 shots the HBR would require constant reloads which could lead to ammo shortages especially in a situation like this.  Using a generator to feed a HRB takes care of ammo issues plus the heavy weapon has a better range and could be braced (better add a bipod) where the HBR could not.

When I saw this I was initially thinking it was for the Wookie who had a couple feats I was on the fence about before deciding Careful Shot (and Double Trigger) is a must for an Aim based character and who wanted something  to shut down many characters via Pin.  There the DLT-20A may be similar to a HBR but it isn't called such so the damage boost from Riflemaster would be a GM call.  Originally the character would have been using his Bowcaster as his sniping weapon (which is also Accurate with rifle ranges and 3d10 damage) but ammo issues sent me to the blaster beast out of the CWCG; 30 shots of "common" Blaster Pack ammo vs. 10 shots from a Bowcaster with each being 5 credits the difference would add up.
« Last Edit: November 10, 2018, 10:57:59 am by StevenO »
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Re: The Gamemasters' Encounter Sandbox
« Reply #25 on: November 10, 2018, 07:33:35 am »
Quote
The stock B1 is a pretty horrible place to start from especially for a droid intended to join a group of PC types.  I'll point out the NH3 makes this a 13th-level character as far as PCdom would could and you get lots of suck from it.  If building a droid for PC uses it's much better to use the Custom creation in the SECR (which actually doesn't give you a lot more options than a normal species might get) or the Chassis types in SGtD where the Battle Droid Chassis is pretty much everything the B1 is but more and with heroic levels. 

You aren't wrong - starting with the B1 chassis hampers this build in a half-dozen ways. It lacks in HP and has valuable feats taken up in weapon prof(heavy) and toughness that could instead have gone to further optimizing the role (notably the build lacks weapon focus (rifles) which prevents it from taking most weapon specialization talents offered by its soldier class).

However, this was a challenge where I wanted to make the B1 as effective as possible  on a budget! RA-JR represents an investment by a crazy Sullustan Smuggler Jolee Nevv who wanted some muscle for backup but was on a shoestring budget. As such I technically consider him a CL11 NPC. As part of this sandbox I'd like to inspire a culture where any character or creature could be used, if a GM wants to test out something they've been working on.

Quote
I'm also not a fan of Power Blast unless I'm missing something here; the only reason I generally consider Power Attack is when using a two handed weapons so -1 attack for +2 damage but when it's only 1:1 the benefit is far less useful unless the ONLY thing you are going for is throwing for critical hits.

You're not wrong here, either. I almost never go for the power attack family unless it's a beast build where BAB is high and damage is low. However, in this case, I was curious to see how high I could get an attack role without the use of the BAB, instead converting it all to damage. With cunning attack, careful shot + a bipod the build gains +4 to attack rolls, enough to supplement a moderate power attack penalty. When within point blank range, the attack bonus increases to +3 atk (and damage) from the PBS and targeting package. The idea here being a gradual sacrifice of accuracy for all-or-nothing damage as an opponent closes to zero range.

I originally conceived this build as a CT-killer, but retooled it to have more of a support role with knockdown strike and weakening strike to make it more of a team player. I wanted to give it more variety than a sub-par CT-killer anyways.

Quote
Sorry for the big critique but you should know that Tyro would be making an extensive evaluation of those he works with even if they don't like it.

Absolutely no offense taken! While this isn't a "rate-my-build" thread, if we can't comment on each others' toys in the sandbox than valuable feedback is wasted.
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Re: The Gamemasters' Encounter Sandbox
« Reply #26 on: November 11, 2018, 07:50:47 am »
Alright, I've posted a topic in the gameplay area! For the first post, feel free to describe the actions your character will take in the few minutes (<10) of prep, and describe placement of allies and yourselves on the field. I've never run an encounter in PbP before so feel free to message me if something should be done differently!

After actions are taken, we'll start the encounter and roll initiative.
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Re: The Gamemasters' Encounter Sandbox
« Reply #27 on: November 11, 2018, 05:13:56 pm »
FakDendor, it doesn't seem like anyone else is going to post.  Do you want me to post another character so that we have 4 characters?  I could put in just about anything that is suggested.
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Re: The Gamemasters' Encounter Sandbox
« Reply #28 on: November 11, 2018, 05:42:52 pm »
Quote from: sienn_sconn on November 11, 2018, 05:13:56 pm
FakDendor, it doesn't seem like anyone else is going to post.  Do you want me to post another character so that we have 4 characters?  I could put in just about anything that is suggested.

I've posted a second and while I have a couple more "friends" of the two I posted it would probably be best if you dropped a second character as well.  The situation is a bit worse that I'd initially expected (see the other thread that is supposed to be play related) although in this era, and based on the opposition, a droid or Jedi type could be appropriate.  I know my next suggestion was going to be the Pau-an Jedi Consular who's actually pretty easy to build and write-up until it comes to picking the dozen Force Powers he'd have; his first level was going to be Noble with Inspire Confidence.
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Re: The Gamemasters' Encounter Sandbox
« Reply #29 on: November 11, 2018, 05:44:27 pm »
We have 4 including RA-JR and Steven's wookiee, if you wanted another that'd be fine but don't feel obliged! This should be a fun activity, not a burden.
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