Thread: Question about the Stunning rule

Hi everybody!

I'm playing a SF game this week-end and it will use stunning pistols... So I looked at the Stunning and Subduing rule, page 232 of the Big Golden Book (second edition). But I'm not sure to understand it well. I made a quick research on this forum and all what I found was an old discussion about the edition 0. So, here I am... If this has already been discussed somewhere else, don't hesitate to give me the link.

As far as I understand things, stunning weapons (the stunning pistol, for instance: Pistol, stun, page 256) don't do any damage. You still roll the damage dice normally (2d6 in this example) and make a resistance roll vs. the current target's HP. If the damage win, the target is stunned for a number of rounds equal to the "damage" rolled.

And now, my question: do you subtract the damage from the target's HP before making the resistance roll or do you use the current target's HP without any subtraction?


It will be more clear with an example.

The hero shoot a bad guy with his stunner pistol. The bad guy is in full shape, with 12 HP. The Hero's player then roll two dice and scores a 7 (average result). How to handle the resistance roll? Is it...

1. 7 vs. 12 (only 25% chance to stun the bad guy for 7 rounds)?
2. or 7 vs. 12 - 7 = 5 (60% chance to stun the bad guy for 7 rounds)?

The rules sound to incline in favour of the 1st answer... But it doesn't make stunning pistol as effective as they are supposed to be in movies and SF stories.

According to the notes in the table in my PDF copy there are TWO advanced melee weapons with the Stun effect (note 1 applies) and two Advanced Missiles Weapons (Pistol and Rifle) - but weirdly, the pistol damage only has footnote 2 applied to damage - I believe this is a typo and it SHOULD be footnote 10 (same as Stun Rifle) as well, and that the stun Rifle should ALSO have footnote 2:

Originally Posted by BGB PDF page 258

1. Roll damage as normal and use the damage vs. the target’s CON in a resistance roll. If target loses, he or she is stunned for 1D3+1 rounds. See the rules for Stunning on page 232 of Chapter Seven: Spot Rules.

So Stun Lances and Whips deal normal melee damage AND have a stun effect where as:

Originally Posted by BGB PDF page 258

2. Reduce the target’s armor value by ½ (round up) versus this weapon.
10. Roll damage as normal and use the damage vs. the target’s CON in a resistance roll. If the target succeeds, he or she takes minimum damage (2) instead of the rolled damage. If target loses, he or she is stunned for 1D3+1 rounds. See the rules for Stunning on page 232 of Chapter Seven: Spot Rules.

Stun Pistols and Rifles only Stun, but if they fail to stun DO reduce THP AND they are significantly more effective through armor than conventionally damaging weapons.

At the very least, footnote 10 applying to Stun Rifles and not Stun Pistols is a typo I think.

Cheers,

Nick

Thank you very much for this so quick answer!

I read the notes page 256, indeed, but they added to my confusion: they don't really correspond to what is explained page 232 (Resistance roll vs. CON instead of remaining HP, difference between the stunning pistol and the stunning rifle,etc.).

But what you explained about the typos make them much more clear and consistent.

So I will use these rules. Now, to fit to the precise adventure I will play, I will modify these effects. In the game world where the PC will live, the stunning pistol is supposed to be much more powerful. Especially the length of the stunning effect.

Thank you again.