Author Topic: SPAs Revisited - Birth of the Skill Tree  (Read 1349 times)

Scotty

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SPAs Revisited - Birth of the Skill Tree
« on: 20 November 2017, 15:42:05 »
First off, something of a mission statement:

I dislike the official SPAs, almost to a one.  I think that they focus almost universally on incremental improvements that don't actually serve to differentiate pilots.  A pilot with a dozen SPAs is still only capable of the same peaks as a statistically improbable rookie that rolls boxcars for days.  There are exceptions, to be sure, like Fist Fire, but by and large they manifest in the form of a -1 or -2 bonus in some select, often peripheral condition.

What's more, they are very frequently wholly isolated from each other.  There is no sense of progression in SPAs.  You either have the best possible version of it, or you don't have any version of it.  Once again there are a couple exceptions, but not many at all.

So, as an alternative to the official SPAs, I present the following, loosely organized into skill trees.  They're my take on what a "special" pilot ability should be, ways that a pilot can exceed the limitations of their 'Mechs and tanks on paper.  Things that an experienced pilot can do that a rookie is unable to conceptualize or execute, due to their unfamiliarity with their equipment.  Unless otherwise specified, abilities do combine.  If any of those combinations seems hilariously broken, let me know and I'll see if it's intended or not. ;D

Furthermore, all costs and effects of these abilities are cumulative.  For example, Particle Cannonneer would result in a minimum of 25 heat with a normal PPC (or 15 with a Light PPC; or 35 with a Heavy PPC).  Walking Fire requires ammo and generates heat for each additional shot, etc.

Skill Trees: Gunnery, Piloting, Tactics

Gunnery Skills: Ballistic, Missile, Energy, General

Walking Fire (Ballistic)– Once per turn, after performing an attack with a Ballistic weapon, if there is another enemy unit adjacent and within range and LOS, you may perform an additional attack with that weapon against the second target using all applicable modifiers and an additional +2 penalty.

Street Sweeper (Ballistic) – When using the Walking Fire ability, the second unit may be up to two hexes away from the initial target.  If the second target is not adjacent, include an additional +1 penalty on the second attack.  Requires Walking Fire.

Wall of Bullets (Ballistic) – When using Walking Fire, you may either select one additional target that must also be adjacent to the first, within range, and within LOS at an additional +1 penalty (cumulative +3); or you may use Walking Fire twice per turn.

Muzzle Discipline (Ballistic) – When you declare targets for one or more Ballistic Cluster weapons, pick one of those weapons.  When resolving an attack with that weapon, roll an additional d6 for the cluster hit roll, then discard the lowest.  If you pick a weapon in this fashion, all other Cluster weapons must roll an additional d6 and discard the highest for the cluster roll.  If combining this ability with another ability (such as Street Sweeper) that grants additional attacks to certain weapons, only the first shot receives the bonus.  All subsequent shots suffer the penalty instead.

Plunging Fire (Ballistic) – When making an attack with a Ballistic non-Cluster weapon at long range, you may choose to roll hit locations on the Punch table at an additional +1 to hit.  If you do, all damage from that weapon is halved, rounding down to a minimum of one.

Sustained Fire (Energy) – Once per turn, when you make a successful attack with an Energy weapon that has a Margin of Success of at least 2, after resolving the hit location make a second hit location roll.  This second location suffers half the damage of the first hit, rounded down to a minimum of one.

Melting Point (Energy) – When attcking with Energy weapons, each subsequent hit to the same location inflicts an additional point of damage, to a maximum of +3 per hit.

Particle Cannoneer (Energy) – Once per turn, after you make an attack with a PPC, you may make a second attack with the same PPC against the same target at a +2 penalty.  This second attack generates an additional 5 heat.

Grillmaster (Energy) – When attacking with a heat-generating weapon, add one to the amount of heat generated, per weapon.

Heat Engine (Energy) – Once per game, at the start of the shooting phase, you may delcare you are using this ability.  Until the end of the phase, ignore heat penalties when firing Energy weapons.

Carpet Bomber (Missile) – When performing an attack with a Cluster Missile weapon but before rolling any dice, you may nominate any number of units adjacent to the original target.  If the attack hits the target, after rolling on the cluster hits table rather than doing damage normally, instead divide damage equally between the target and all other nominated units, rounding down to the nearest whole number to a minimum of 1 damage per target.

Snap Shot (Missile) – When performing an attack with a Cluster Missile weapon that has a minimum range, you may ignore the minimum range penalty.  If you do, all cluster hit rolls must roll an additional d6 and discard the highest result.

High Angle Salvo (Missile) – When performing an attack with a Missile weapon capable of indirect fire, before any dice are rolled, you may choose to roll hit locations on the punch table.  If you do, the target's TMM is doubled for the purposes of to-hit numbers, and damage is halved (rounding down, to a minimum of one) before rolling for hit locations.

Ripple Fire (Missile) – When performing an attack with multiple Missile weapons, each weapon that hits after the first adds +2 to the cluster hit roll (including its own), to a maximum of +4.

Headhunter (Missile) – When rolling for hit locations with a Cluster Missile weapon, you may reroll up to one hit location per weapon.  The second result must be accepted.  May not be combined with High Angle Salvo.

Burrower (General) – When checking for critical hits, each subsequent check to the same location adds +1 to the number rolled, up to a maximum of +3.

Seeker (General) – Once per turn, when checking for critical hits, you may choose to reroll one of the dice on the check.  This second result must be accepted, even if the result is lower than the first.

Surgeon (General) – When checking for critical hits against limbs, treat results of both 11 and 12 as Limb Blown Off.

Practiced Aim (General) – Once per turn, when performing an attack, you may reroll both dice.  The second result must be accepted, even if it was lower than the first.

Sharpshooter (General) – Once per turn, when performing an attack, you may choose one die and reroll it.  The second result must be accepted, even if was lower than the first.  This ability replaces Practiced Aim.

Master-at-Arms (General) – While performing attacks, you may choose to reroll one to-hit roll and one hit location roll per turn.  The second result must be accepted.

Precision Shooting (General) – Once per turn, when performing an attack, you may choose one hit location roll and reroll it.  The second result must be accepted.

Unmatched Precision (General) – Once per turn, when performing an attack, you may choose to reroll one or both dice on a hit location roll.  The second result must be accepted.  This ability replaces Precision Shooting.

Multi-tasker (General) – On a turn in which you fired weapons at multiple targets, after you resolve all attacks against your primary target, you may choose one weapon fired at that target, and also fire it at one of your previously selected secondary targets.  The weapon must be able to fire at the secondary target in question without additional torso twists or turret movement.  This weapon suffers an additional +2 penalty to hit on top of the secondary target penalty.  This ability may not be combined with other abilities that generate additional attacks.

(Rough) Trees

Prerequisite: Gunnery Skill 4

Practiced Aim (General)
Burrower (General)
Muzzle Discipline (Ballistic)
Sustained Fire (Energy)
Grillmaster (Energy)
Snap Shot (Missile)

Prerequisites: Grillmaster (Energy)

Heat Engine (Energy)

Prerequisite: Practiced Aim (General)

Sharpshooter (General)
Multi-Tracker (General)
Precision Shooting (General)
Melting Point (Energy)
Ripple Fire (Missile)

Prerequisite: Multi-Tracker (General)

Walking Fire (Ballistic)
Particle Cannoneer (Energy)
Carpet Bomber (Missile)

Prerequisite: Burrower (General)

Seeker (General)

Prerequisite: Seeker (General)

Surgeon (General)

Prerequisite: Precision Shooting (General)

Unmatched Precision (General)
Plunging Fire (Ballistic)
Headhunter (Missile)
High Angle Salvo (Missile)

Prerequisite: Walking Fire (Ballistic)

Street Sweeper (Ballistic)

Prerequisite: Street Sweeper (Ballistic)

Wall of Bullets (Ballistic)
Melting Point (Energy)

Prerequisite: Unmatched Precision (General) and Sharpshooter (General)

Master-at-Arms (General)
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