Talk:Technology of the Imperium

Armor

For a high-tech setting, the damage resistance from armor makes sense. This will obviously protect from energy based attacks as well. Idea for rules:

• All armor types give a modest bonus to defense. This represents the chance that attacks are deflected by the armor. Defense bonus is based on armor type.
• Armor gives DR. This represents the ability of armor to soak up damage.
  • Light armor: Def +1, DR=AC-1
  • Medium armor: Def +2, DR=AC-1 (-2?)
  • Heavy (and powered) armor: Def +3, DR=AC-1 (-2)
• The DR is increased by +1 for modern (PL 5-6) materials (such as kevlar) and +2 for future materials (PL 7+ plasteel, ceramite, mesh).
• Power armor requires a separate proficiency. Marine power armor should have a DR or 8-10. This makes marines impervious to normal firearms unless fired in burst or full auto.

As a rule of thumb, assume DR 2 per save step.

Weapons

Some weapons have an AP rating. This represents the amount of DR the weapons ignore. For most weapons (autogun, stubber, lasgun, etc.), this is 0. Bolters, plasma and similar weapons have AP 5. Melta and power weapons have an AP rating or 10. As a rule of thumb, AP is 2 for each level in WH40K, but it makes sense to round this to 0/5/10.

Misc weapon rules

• Weapons can have an AP (Armor Piercing) rating. This is the amount of Hardness or DR ignored by the weapons. Most personal weapons do not have an AP rating. Power weapons and meltaguns do have AP ratings (probably 5 or 10, allowing to ignore anything up to standard power armour while having some effect against terminator armour.
• "Power" is a weapon gadget that gives the weapon an AP rating (say 10). It can be combined with keenblade. Indeed, the standard imperial power weapon is a power keenblade.
• "Chain" weapons add an extra damage. This means 2d8 for a chainsword and 3d6 for an eviscerator (same damage as for a chainsaw). Chain weapons are ideal for gutting soft targets but do not have an AP rating.
• Keenblades double the critical range of an edged weapon (from Dragonstar). The Catachan daggger is a keen shortsword.
• The powerfist rules from dragonstar can be used (can be used in grapple, double damage against objects including immobilized vehicles). Servofist is not powered (well... it is, but is does not have the hot-knife-through-butter powerfield thingy). A powerfist adds the power enhancement for an AP rating.
• Rare weapons such as Yarrick's Bale Eye or Jokaero digital weapons can be designed by using the gadget rules (miniaturized) on an ordinary laser pistols.
• Flamers have a template effect and ignore cover.

Other items

• Purity seals give a +1 bonus to all saves. These must be sanctified by a member of the imperial cult (preacher, possibly commissar), a marine chaplain. The seal only gives a benefit to those who have an appropriate allegiance (Imperium, Chapter, etc).
• Terminator honors are awarded to Space Marines who are proficent with terminator armor. This requires Mecha Piloting and Mecha Weapon Proficiency. Such experienced troops are often higher level (say +2) than ordinary marines.

PROGRESS LEVEL 5 WEAPONS

Stub gun, generic heavy pistol              2d8
Autogun, generic medium rifle               2d8
Heavy stubber, generic machinegun

PROGRESS LEVEL 6 WEAPONS

Weapon                   Size       Dmg   Crit  Rng  Type       RoF   Magazine (*)

Laspistol                L          2d8    20    40  Fire       S     50 box 
Lasgun                   M          3d8    20    80  Fire       S,A   50 box
Boltgun                  L         3d10    20    80  Ballistic  S,A   50 box
Boltpistol               M         3d10    20    40  Ballistic  S     15 box
Stormbolter              L         3d10    20    40  Ballistic  S,A,D 50 box (+)

*) Laspistols and lasguns use different magazines. 
   Boltguns and boltpistols use the same ammunition and magazines.
+) The Stormbolter fires can fire two shots in rapid sequence (one from each barrel) without 
   affecting accuracy. This gives a +2 bonus to Double Tap and Burst fire. The storm bolter uses 
   two ordinary sickle magazines. Special drum magazines are availabe with larger ammo capacity,
   but these can not be used on ordinary bolt weapons since they require two magazine wells.

Chain weapons

Chain weapons add an extra damage die.


PROGRESS LEVEL 7 WEAPONS

Plasma weapons

Power melee weapons: Add extra die, ignore X (-5?) protection rating.

PROGRESS LEVEL 8 WEAPONS

Force weapons
Melta weapons
Graviton guns

Lasguns

Some Imperial lasgun patterns have a variable power setting, and can be set for 3d8 or 2d8 damage. The low energy setting uses half a charge.

Flak and Carapace Armor

Flak armor is probably light while carapace is medium.

Power Armor

Power armor gives a bonus to Strength (+4 for power armor, +8 for terminator armor). Since it is a powered exo-skeleton, it support its own weight, and it does not count towards encumbrance. Powered armour requires Armor Proficiency (Powered) to operate. Imperial power armor requires the user to be plugged into the suit (using the Marine black carapace interface points or a similar link). This allows him to use the Strength bonus and negates the Speed penalty.

Imperial Power armor is probably +14, max dex +2 or so (for a Protection of 10 and a Defense of +4).

Terminator Armor

According to the fluff, Terminator Armour is extremely rare and requires special training. They are described as being very large and clumsy. This is supported by some rules in Warhammer 40,000, such as taking up double space in transports and the inability to make a sweeping advance(?).

In game terms, terminator armor are large mecha (8' is about right for a suit of terminator armor and is the low end for a Large creature). This requires Mecha Piloting and Mecha Weapon Proficiency. These feats neatly represent terminator honors. These feats are also used for walkers such as Dreadnoughts, Sentinels and Titans.

The mecha rules make terminator armor much more powerful than in Warhammer 40,000, but fits with the fluff.

Note: Add the Mecha feats from d20 Modern to the Feats page.

Dreadnoughts

Dreadnoughts are huge mecha.

Forcefields

Forcefields give a shield bonus to defense.