Avengers of Justice

Galaxy Rangers Sourcebook

for

Avengers of Justice Rules, v1.0

by Dave Van Domelen

AOJ Rules copyright 1993 Dave Van Domelen, available via Email
Galaxy Rangers copyright someone else.
Original Source for more details on Mental Points), telepathy and clairvoyance.

Buzzwang

Traits: Invulnerable
Wounds: (3/2/4) KIA=2
Rank: 9

Standard 'normal' package

Other Powers and Skills:

Blunt (Ballistic, Chemical, Physical, Sonic): Metal body gives -4 versus these modes of attack.

Barrage: His computer mind allows him to set up multiple attacks with a round of preparation and a Difficult roll. He must choose which attack to prepare (only sidearm attacks, he cannot get his mount to Barrage) and if successful will make d8 attacks with it next round at no multiple action penalty.

 

 

Well, feel free to correct my errors. NWC characters will have to wait until I read the FAQ again, since I'm really hazy on their abilities and names.

Dave Van Domelen, here's the Glancing wound rules....

 

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Dealing with Normals

Dealing with Normals in the Avengers of Justice game, Optional Rules copyright 1993 Dave Van Domelen

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In making things simple and streamlined at the superheroic level in Avengers of Justice, a few things slipped through the cracks. Among them is what to do when fighting normal people, people who drop at even the first Fatigue wound. And how to fight them without using your powers, either because you don't want to hurt them too bad or because you simply don't have powers at the time.

To remedy this, I am introducing the optional wound level of Glancing, below Fatigue. Normal people have anywhere from 1 to 4 Glancing wounds that they can take before it overflows into Fatigue, depending on how tough they are. Superpowered characters totally ignore Glancing wounds, as does any normal tough enough to have Fatigue wounds. A Glancing wound may leave a small scar, or raise a bruise, but it won't break bones or seriously damage a person. The level of damage a Fatigue wound represents can be fatal to a normal person, due to the scale shift involved in a superhero game.

A normal person, attacking as an NWC, uses the following attack chart if fighting with bare hands. Add two if they have a makeshift club, and go to Ballistic Wound if they use a blade or gun.

Normal: 2-8
Miss 8-14
Glancing 15+ Fatigue

This chart is Physical damage, so defenses against mode Physical stop Normal attacks cold.

To determine a random person's wound chart, roll d8 and divide by two for the number of Glancing wounds they can take. If an 8 is rolled, roll again, with another 8 meaning the person has one Fatigue wound and can ignore Glancing damage.

When WCs attack normals, they may wish to do only Glancing damage, since they are less likely to seriously hurt the people (an overflow to Fatigue is generally less harmful than a direct Fatigue). This can be done in two ways:

1: All characters may try to punch or kick a foe for a Glancing wound on a Difficult roll. This damage is Physical mode, and can be done even by those without Trait Physical. If the WC has Trait Physical or Nimble, the roll becomes Routine. Trait Physical is still required for the attack to be able to hurt someone with Fatigue wounds, although it can be used to kick them into hazardous situations if the Editor agrees.

2: Any Offensive Power may be 'pulled' to do only a Glancing wound. The Editor should decide if this is easier or harder than the normal attack, depending on the effects of the power. For example, Enhanced Attack from Mode Ballistic may be used at Glancing level on a Routine roll if it's a sword, but on a Tasking (with full damage on Mixed) if the attack is a gun, since it's alot harder to aim for a graze than to just swing less hard.

2a: In addition, a Defensive or Tactical power might be used to do a Glancing wound if the player is clever about it. For example, if Onyx has a magical darkness field that she uses for a Confuse power, she might try to use it to scare normals to the tune of a Glancing wound, but rolling a Difficult (if it were normal darkness and not magical, this wouldn't be allowed).

When an NWC attacks a normal, the attack charts need to be modified. With the exception of Ballistic and Focused Energy, use the following method: take the upper half of the numbers in the "Miss" column and make them "Glancing". So, for example, Physical misses on 2-5, so now 4-5 is Glancing and 2-3 is Miss. For Ballistic and Focused Energy, the single number at the top of Miss becomes Glancing. So for Ballistic and Ballistic Wound, a Glancing is done on an 8.

You may wish to include Glancing results even when the NWC is firing on the players, since it can be used for roleplaying effect. The shot that hits but just stings a bit, or the Emotional attack that causes a slight bit of nagging fear. This is an extra complication, but can be worth it in the extra detail it gives to fight scenes.

SAMPLE COMBATS

Tymythy Twystyd is at a local bar when a fight breaks out. Not wanting to play with spacetime in his favorite hangout, he hangs back. However, some drunken idiot (3 Glancing) sees him and decides to attack. The lager lout rolls a 9, hitting Tym in the face with a beer mug. Tym ignores the damage (having put a mild warp around himself), and decides to punch him back. Tym is Nimble, so he needs a 6 to hit. Rolling a 16, he Overkills, and breaks the guy's jaw with a Fatigue, knocking him out. A moment later, the lout's buddy makes it over to Tym and attacks with a chair, but Tym decides to dissuade him with a mild mindwarp. Pulling his Psychological Attack to Glancing is ruled as Automatic, and the buddy (2 Glancing) reels back, then decides to find another person to beat on.

Later, Tym is walking home with a young lady he met after the smoke cleared (she was surrounded by the people she had dropped...Wounds (1/1/0) attacks as Physical), and some idiot tries to mug them. He's half unconscious from lack of sleep, and has only 1 Glancing. Tym decides to be nonconfrontational, but his friend attacks, rolling a 5. This does a Glancing to the punk, and doesn't drop him. He pulls out an Uzi, and Tym gets fed up and takes his action to warple the gun apart (Mode Supernatural Enhanced Attack at -2 for targeting a Gadget), which makes the punk flee.