Mega-Damage Properties

(Version 1.06 - Last Modified: 02/23/2003)

• Introduction
• Armor Rating
• Armor Rating Tables
• Weapon Rating
• Weapon Rating Tables

There are two important characteristics of mega-damage that need to be discussed. The first concerns mega-damage armor and the second concerns mega-damage weapons. While it is possible to play with only one of these two properties, it works better when both are used together. Also, to make it easier to place into existing campaigns and published materials, I will provide a simple set of ratings that covers most existing material.

Armor Rating

All M.D.C. armor, from body suits to spaceships, has an inherent Armor Rating, which protects them from weak weapons. Variations in the Armor Rating (A.R.) implies different design strategies or different levels of technology, where the higher the Armor Rating, the harder it is to damage something, and the higher the implied level of technology.

While an argument can be made to have different types of Armor Ratings, such as for hard armor (tank armor) and soft armor (very hard skin), it is impossible to take into consideration every possible reason that armor can be different from instance to instance. Instead, all armor is given a generic armor rating and any specific modification to that armor rating, such as a natural ability to better absorb energy attacks, is described on a case by case basis.

Armor Rating affects combat by giving armor the ability to absorb damage if it does not penetrate the armor. All bonuses and penalties to strike a target are applied to the roll before the effects of Armor Ratings are determined. If the roll to strike is less than the Armor Rating, but within two points, then an attack only causes 50% of its normal damage. If the roll is less than the Armor Rating minus 2, then no damage is inflicted. If the roll is equal to or greater than the Armor Rating, then the attack causes full damage as normal. If the roll is at least twenty points greater than the Armor Rating, then the attack causes double damage. This doubled damage is only caused to the armor itself and any damage that actually goes through the armor and hits the wearer would not be doubled. As usual, a critical strike occurs normally and causes double damage, but it is still affected by the rules stated above.

It is important to mention that these rules for Armor Rating do not prevent the target from simply dodging an attack. Unfortunately, most targets and attackers will not know the exact effects of Armor Rating until after a few successful strikes, so it is possible for a target to be busy dodging attacks even though the incoming attacks have no chance of penetrating the target's armor.

For example, a tank with an Armor Rating of 10 is attacked. On the first roll to strike, the attacker rolls a 6 with modifications, which causes no damage to the tank. The second roll is an 8 with modifications, and the rolled damage is 60 M.D., but because the roll was less then the target's armor rating but within two points, then the attack inflicts half damage or 30 points of damage. The third and final roll to strike is a 16 with modifications, and the rolled damage is 50 M.D., and because the roll is higher then the target's armor rating, the attack inflicts the full 50 points of damage.

Living M.D.C. creatures also have an Armor Rating, but this number can vary widely depending on the type of creature. Most M.D.C. creatures will have an Armor Rating of 6, while those with thick skin, armor plating, or special circumstances will have a higher value. Lower values are also possible, but are usually reserved for extremely fragile M.D.C. creatures.

Unless otherwise mentioned, all empires use the Standard Location category for Armor Ratings, this does not include high-tech empires from the Three Galaxies, which use the Phase World category. Also, unless otherwise mentioned, force fields and any related technology, such as that used by the Invaders from Phase World, do not have Armor Ratings. All mecha, vehicles, weapons and spaceships from Robotech and Macross II use the Standard Location category for their Armor Ratings.

• Body Armor: 6
• Power Armor: 7
• Robots: 8
• Tanks: 8
• Fighters: 7
• Spaceships: See Ship Classes and Types for more details
• Missiles: 5 for mini-missiles, short-range missiles, small bombs, and light bombs, 6 for medium range missiles, long range missiles, medium bombs, and heavy bombs, and 7 for cruise missiles and extra-heavy bombs
• Note: The new Coalition States equipment and Triax equipment is stronger and more advanced; increase Armor Ratings for Body Armor, Power Armor, and Robots by +1. Chipwell Industries uses substandard parts and only a layer of M.D.C. material over S.D.C. substances, reduce the armor ratings for all of their equipment by -1.

• Body Armor: 8
• Power Armor: 9
• Robots: 10
• Tanks: 10
• Fighters: 9
• Spaceships: See Ship Classes and Types for more details
• Missiles: 7 for mini-missiles, short-range missiles, small bombs, and light bombs, 8 for medium range missiles, long range missiles, medium bombs, and heavy bombs, and 9 for cruise missiles and extra-heavy bombs
• Note: The Megaversal Legion, Naruni Enterprises, and the Splugorth use this category for their armor.

• Standard M.D.C. Creatures: 6

As M.D.C. armor has an Armor Rating, M.D. weapons have a Weapon Rating. This rating is what allows a weapon to damage M.D.C. materials, or prevent them if the rating is too low. Weapon Rating (W.R.) is used to reflect that some weapons are designed to penetrate armor easily, while others are not designed for that function at all.

All weapons have a Weapon Rating and unless otherwise stated, all S.D.C. weapons have an effective Weapon Rating of -20 when used against M.D.C. materials. This means that under no circumstances can normal S.D.C. weapons damage M.D.C. materials, no matter how much damage they do.

The Weapon Rating affects the Armor Rating of M.D.C. armor and materials by either increasing the Armor Rating or decreasing it. If a weapon’s Weapon Rating is less than the Armor Rating of the target, then the effective Armor Rating is increased by the difference. If a weapon’s Weapon Rating is greater than the Armor Rating of the target, then the effective Armor Rating is decreased by the difference. If the effective Armor Rating is greater than 22, then it is impossible for an attack to cause any damage, even with a successful critical strike, and the target is effectively invulnerable to that particular weapon.

For example, a laser rifle has a Weapon Rating of 6 and is used against a tank with an Armor Rating of 10. The difference between the two ratings is 4, but since the Weapon Rating is lower, the effective Armor Rating is increased to 14. This means that that in order to cause even half damage, the attacker must roll at least a 12 with modifications. If the attacker switched weapons and began using a particle beam rifle with a Weapon Rating of 12, then the difference between the two ratings is 2, but this time the Weapon Rating is higher. This means that the effective Armor Rating is only 8, and toto cause half damage the attacker only has to roll a 6 with modifications. Of course, the target can always dodge or parry as normal, but neither the target nor the attacker may be aware of how the Weapon Rating effects the combat until after a few successful strikes.

For living creatures and melee weapons, the Weapon Rating for hand-to-hand combat is affected by the strength of the attacker and the base Weapon Rating of the weapon. For example, a virbo-sword has a base Weapon Rating, but its final Weapon Rating can increase depending on the strength of the attacker. The Weapon Rating of any melee weapon, from punches to vibro-swords, is increased by +1 for every eight points of normal P.S. above 10 (at values of 18, 26, 34, 42, etc.), +1 for every six points of robotic or superhuman P.S. above 10 (at values of 16, 22, 28, 34, etc.), and +1 for every four points of supernatural P.S. above 10 (at values of 14, 18, 22, 26, etc.). For example, a vibro-sword from Northern Gun used by a demon with a supernatural P.S. of 26 would have a final Weapon Rating of 14. The base Weapon Rating of physical attacks, such as punches, vary depending on the type of attack and type of creature. For example, a Human with supernatural strength would have a base Weapon Rating of 6 with a normal punch, whereas a supernatural monster with razor sharp claws could have a base Weapon Rating of 9; both Weapon Ratings could then be increased by having a high PS attribute.

Unless otherwise mentioned, all empires use the Standard Location category for the Weapon Ratings, this does not include high-tech empires from the Three Galaxies, which use the Phase World category. Due to their increased strength, all spaceship-mounted weapons that would normally receive a penalty to strike a small object automatically penetrate that target’s Armor Rating. All mecha, vehicles, weapons and spaceships from Robotech and Macross II use the Standard Location category for their Weapon Ratings.

It is important to note that magical and psionic attacks, as well as attacks from special powers, are not affected by armor ratings or weapon ratings, and cause normal damage under all circumstances.

• Laser Weapons: 8
• Particle Beam Weapons: 9
• Ion Weapons: 7
• Plasma Weapons: 9
• Non-Energy Weapons: 10
• Vibro-Weapons: 10
• Other Melee Weapons: 8
• Other Melee Weapons: 8
• Note: Amaki Blast weapons from the Silver River Republics are a variation of Particle Beam weapons and use that Weapon Rating. Wilk’s Laser Technology is better than normal Laser Weapons; increase the Weapon Rating for all Wilk’s laser weapons by +1.

• Laser Weapons: 9
• Particle Beam Weapons: 10
• Ion Weapons: 8
• Plasma Weapons: 10
• Non-Energy Weapons: 11
• Vibro-Weapons: 11
• Other Melee Weapons: 8

• Capital Ship Weapons: As per the type of weapon used with an additional +15 to the Weapon Rating due to the weapon's size and strength. For example, a particle beam capital ship weapon from Phase World would have a Weapon Rating of 20. See the Standard Location or Phase World sections for more details.
• Missile Launchers: As per the warhead on the launched missiles, see Explosives / Missiles section below for more details.
• Point Defense Weapons: As per the type of weapon used, such as a laser point defense weapon, see the Standard Location or Phase World sections for more details.

• Standard Attacks (punches, kicks, hand strikes): 6
• Special Attacks (claw strikes, bites): 7+

• Armor Piercing: 15
• Fragmentation: 9
• High Explosives: 10
• Plasma / Napalm: 12
• Note: Grenades that do not explicitly state their type are assumed to be Fragmentation. More warhead Weapon Ratings are listed in the Modern Missile Design document.

• Plasma Melee Weapons: 12
• Energy Melee Weapons: 10
• Note: For all non-listed weapons use the Phase World category.

• Plasma Weapons: 12
• K-Hex Explosives: 12
• Note: For all non-listed weapons use the Phase World category.

• Particle Wave Weapons: 11
• Note: For all non-listed weapons use the Standard Location category.

• Tri-Beam Energy Weapons: 15
• Tri-Beam Energy Sword: 15
• Note: For all non-listed weapons use the Standard Location category.

• I-Beam Weapons: 20
• Note: For all non-listed weapons use the Phase World category.

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