Beacon of Chaos
2017-11-16, 04:51 PM
Hey all, so, I want to run a Borderlands-themed campaign for my IRL group. I've decided on using Savage Worlds for the game as it seems pretty easy to run and it comes with gun rules that I can modify to produce a decent variety of guns for my players to pick up as loot. (Yes, I know there's already a fan-made BL RP out there but I don't really like it).
Now, I haven't actually played SW before, so I need some help with something. I'm trying to come up with ideas for how shields will work in this game. In theory I can just refluff armour as shields and call it a day but I want something to give the feel of Borderlands shields, like the "uh-oh" moment of a shield getting depleted mid-fight and having to hunker down behind cover while it recharges, or debating whether to use a shield with a higher stat or a better bonus ability. So I came up with the idea of a shield which is essentially an extra wound that can recharge in battle. I am worried that this makes players even harder to kill than they should be but then I don't really know how lethal the system is. I want the players to feel like badasses but I also want them to occasionally feel like they are in danger. I think I'd have to limit armour bonuses as a result, maybe a max of +4? I also feel like the Blood and Guts rule would make sense for the setting but I don't exactly know how that would affect the kind of toughness players would need. I've done some very brief testing with some simple characters fighting each other and it worked out okay, but I could use an experienced eye to look over things.
As an example, here are the rules for shields and a sample shield:
A shield is either full or depleted. A shield allows the wearer to take an extra wound when full, which is always removed first when hit. This depletes the shield. The shield does not prevent the shaken status but the wound on the shield does not cause a wound penalty. A shield has a fixed toughness that replaces the wearer's toughness while full.
At the beginning of your turn, if your shield is depleted and you have not taken damage since the end of your last turn, you may roll your shield's recharge die. If the result is 4 or higher, the shield recharges to full, regaining your extra wound. You gain a +2 on this roll if you are behind cover and spend your action to defend. The shield's recharge die is based on its toughness; the higher the toughness, the lower the recharge die.
Example:
Anshin Healthy Shield
Toughness 6. Recharge d8. Gives the wearer a +1 bonus on vigor rolls.
And some example weapons to give an idea of the kind of attacks the characters would be facing. I've altered the ranges based on my group's tabletop space, which is why they might look a little small.
Dahl Pistol
2d6+1 damage, RoF: 1, Shots:15, range 8/16/32, Semi-Auto, Three-Round-Burst
Vladof Assault Rifle
2d8 damage, RoF: 4, Shots:20, range 10/20/40, Full-Auto
Jakobs Sniper Rifle
2d12 damage, RoF: 1, Shots:6, 12/24/48, Snapfire Penalty, Scope
Any thoughts would be appreciated :smallsmile:
Now, I haven't actually played SW before, so I need some help with something. I'm trying to come up with ideas for how shields will work in this game. In theory I can just refluff armour as shields and call it a day but I want something to give the feel of Borderlands shields, like the "uh-oh" moment of a shield getting depleted mid-fight and having to hunker down behind cover while it recharges, or debating whether to use a shield with a higher stat or a better bonus ability. So I came up with the idea of a shield which is essentially an extra wound that can recharge in battle. I am worried that this makes players even harder to kill than they should be but then I don't really know how lethal the system is. I want the players to feel like badasses but I also want them to occasionally feel like they are in danger. I think I'd have to limit armour bonuses as a result, maybe a max of +4? I also feel like the Blood and Guts rule would make sense for the setting but I don't exactly know how that would affect the kind of toughness players would need. I've done some very brief testing with some simple characters fighting each other and it worked out okay, but I could use an experienced eye to look over things.
As an example, here are the rules for shields and a sample shield:
A shield is either full or depleted. A shield allows the wearer to take an extra wound when full, which is always removed first when hit. This depletes the shield. The shield does not prevent the shaken status but the wound on the shield does not cause a wound penalty. A shield has a fixed toughness that replaces the wearer's toughness while full.
At the beginning of your turn, if your shield is depleted and you have not taken damage since the end of your last turn, you may roll your shield's recharge die. If the result is 4 or higher, the shield recharges to full, regaining your extra wound. You gain a +2 on this roll if you are behind cover and spend your action to defend. The shield's recharge die is based on its toughness; the higher the toughness, the lower the recharge die.
Example:
Anshin Healthy Shield
Toughness 6. Recharge d8. Gives the wearer a +1 bonus on vigor rolls.
And some example weapons to give an idea of the kind of attacks the characters would be facing. I've altered the ranges based on my group's tabletop space, which is why they might look a little small.
Dahl Pistol
2d6+1 damage, RoF: 1, Shots:15, range 8/16/32, Semi-Auto, Three-Round-Burst
Vladof Assault Rifle
2d8 damage, RoF: 4, Shots:20, range 10/20/40, Full-Auto
Jakobs Sniper Rifle
2d12 damage, RoF: 1, Shots:6, 12/24/48, Snapfire Penalty, Scope
Any thoughts would be appreciated :smallsmile: