Great White Games/Pinnacle Entertainment Group

[Averjoe]

I need some advice on how to handle a heavy hail storm. I'm thinking probably softball sized hailstones. Anyone have any advice on how to figure chances to be hit and damage?

[jpk]

I might go with a very large template for suppression fire. Or the ol' bumps-and-bruises sort of Fatigue resisted by Agility instead to represent getting to cover.

[SlasherEpoch]

Yeah, Fatigue seems like the best mechanic to represent it. Vigor to resist or Agility to dodge.
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[Takeda]

Grapefruit-sized seems more than just fatigue though. Maybe an attack for 1d8 or 2d6 damage with a Shooting die of d4 to d6 for sparse to moderate hail-fall, and d8 to d12 for hellish Hail-Fall. it can Ace as can the damage die.

Suppression Fire seems like a close-second ... but hail that would be a pound, solid and falling at say 60+ mph ... if it can dent the roof of your car, destroy your windshield, kill your cattle, it can do more than bruise you.

I almost think that it should be (if exposed) an attack roll and Suppression fire ... if the attack roll leaves you Shaken and the Suppression Fire leaves you Shaken maybe 1 level of Fatigue instead of a Wound. However, if the 'Attack' causes a wound then it's a real wound level.

Sort of like someone trying to hold you down with Suppression fire and somebody else taking pock-shots at you. Just because you have both to worry about doesn't mean the lesser of two-evils doesn't apply.

[Chezzo]

I don't know if you should get an agility check to avoid hail. Every hailstorm I've ever been caught in the hail was pretty unavoidable. It was like trying to dodge raindrops. Then again, I've never been in softball sized hail storms.

I'd make it a Vigor check to avoid damage, and then 1d4 damage per turn. I wouldn't have a shooting die for the hail, either. If it's hailstorming, and you're not under cover, you're gonna get hit. I don't know about the large template, either. I've never seen a hailstorm only affect 10 yards, or whatever. It should be the whole battlefield.

I like your idea of suppression fire, Takeda.

I wanted to say that hailstorms have never killed anyone, but then a quick google search proved me wrong.

That seems to be what you were talking about, what with the softball sized hail. This line is pretty appropriate:

[Takeda]

Well, the Shooting roll is still a random way of determining if you got nailed, missed entirely or just bruised (if you were just shaken=bruised) ... if you have Dodge I could see you able to dodge the direct hits more readily ... using your shield to protect you, etc.

If you don't actively try to avoid the falling balls of icy death you're gonna go down. Keep in mind that the larger the hail the more sparse they tend to be. So bigguns 'can' be dodged but the little pea-sized ones fall too close together to dodge ... but it won't hurt you either.

[Clint]

I'd suggest a Vigor roll while in the area (with a bonus if a "shield" is used).

On a failure, the character suffers a level of Fatigue, but if they roll a 1 on the Vigor Die (regardless of the Wild Die), they are hit by a bigger piece of hail which does 2d6 damage (with any shield acting as Armor). A critical failure means they take a particularly bad hit (like getting a raise on the attack roll) for 3d6 damage.
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Clint Black
Savage Worlds Core Rules Brand Manager

www.peginc.com

[Takeda]

Okay ... that works well to combine the two dynamics! <resigned sigh and a bow of recognition to Clint's Rule-Fu>

[Averjoe]

Thanks for all the suggestions guy. I believe Clint's suggestion is just what I need. I wanted it to be potentially deadly, but not out right lethal within a couple of rounds.

This should inspire my characters to very quickly go-to-ground, which is exactly what I wanted.