Introduction:
We're playing a SA-MP server, and as it is to be expected - people are impatient and drive like shit. Crashes happen, vehicles are destroyed, but more than often we slide over them and ignore the IC consequences that come with an accident. Nobody likes to roleplay alone, and that is fine - but IC is IC, and fun things can come out of roleplaying crashes. First of all, you'd need to try and understand the psychological effect that's tied to an accident. It usually comes as a surprise and can be a traumatic experience. I honestly don't expect people to portray actual attachment over an in-game car or their health when they can eat a sandwich and heal back up, but this challenging task may have its rewards if done properly.
Vehicle Traits:
Now, while you may not want to try and portray an adrenaline pumped character after each crash and the panic that might ensue after you hit someone, but mechanics are a must follow - and I'm here to break them down for you. These are very simple, and it doesn't take much to understand the damage you'd take once you grasp a few of these simple traits.
- Durability - This is the vehicle's general sturdiness and the ability to sustain damage. Depending on how heavy the car's construct is - it may inflict and sustain more damage. This is also the vehicle's 'armor' rating, which serves up as a shield against projectiles or other damage inflicted, absorbing it. If the damage does not exceed the durability, it simply bounces off.
- Structure - The amount of damage a car needs to sustain before it breaks. Think of it as the HP.
- Speed - The vehicle's speed. It is broken down into two, safe and maximum. The safe speed is the average speed at which you could drive without breaking a sweat. The maximum one - naturally reflects your cap, you can't really reach it unless some circumstances are met.
- Maneuverability - This expresses how well the car handles - and is also the cap for the dicepool which you can employ to drive the vehicle. You may be Caine with 10 dex & 5 drive, but a cab is a cab - you can't lose a Ferrari.
- Mass - Depending on the vehicle's overall mass, the damage increases on impact and they receive a bonus to armor. A truck is heavier and sturdier than a sedan, and as such it does +3 damage and confers +3 protection to users.
(https://i.imgur.com/wSwnLME.png)
Crash Mechanics:
When you crash into a car, a wall or a pedestrian - the following happens to:
- Pedestrians receive damage equal to the successes rolled. The dicepool is the vehicle's Durability + 1 die for every 10 mph of the vehicle's speed.
- The driver & other passengers/occupants receive the same amount of damage, minus the car's own durability.
- [!] If you are wearing a /v sb(seat belt), you halve the total damage incurred in the crash.
The damage incurred in a crash depends greatly on how bad you fucked up, and can be bashing or lethal. Did your car get pancaked against an oak tree or did you simply cut a road sign clean off? Use common sense and ask a storyteller if you're not sure about the outcome. The damage is usually bashing, but in extreme circumstances it can be lethal. A lot of people die in car crashes, careful yar.
Examples of Play:
- Takeshi drives a Duneride rams Harvey's Faggio at an intersection. The Duneride has a Durability (6) and he drove at a speed of 50mph. Takeshi reduces the Faggio's durability (2), and rolls 9 dice of damage. Although Harvey soaks some of the damage, the Faggio itself took a large hit, and having a Structure rating of only 3, it breaks down. As far as Takeshi goes, the damage he receives is the opposite, Faggio's durability (2) + 50mph from the impact, that makes it a total of 8 bashing, which is reduced by (6) and only two dice are rolled. The damage is halved to 1, which he easily soaks. (Tru' story btw)
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- Mephisto is driving a Turismo out of Palomino Creek and towards Montgomerry. Upon reaching the curve, he doesn't hit the brakes in time and rams into the highway bridge at top speed. Having forgotten to put on his seatbelt, he rolls a total of 15 dice for his speed, his car immediately goes down to 250 HP as the damage incurred exceeded the Structure rating (4). While Mephisto's character is a Vampire and he can heal himself, his passenger is not so fortunate - and they take the full blow - dying in the aftermath unless taken to a hospital.
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- Yasuo "wyck" Sight is tasked to kill someone and make it look like a random hit and run. He is driving a Hummer, and decides to run Margaret as she exits the bank. He picks up some speed, exceeding his safe speed by 30 km and reaching a total speed of 120 mph at the moment of impact. Margaret detects the car and tries to dodge. The Hummer has a Maneuverability rating of 5, meaning Yasuo can only roll 5 dice to hit her at a difficulty of 9. Thanks to the employment of Willpower and an unfortunate roll on Margaret's side, she gets hit. Yasuo calculates the damage dicepool: Durability (5) + Speed (12) + Mass (3) then rolls. Margaret fails to soak and takes 11 health levels on resolve. She gets a few broken ribs and bleeds internally in the aftermath, dying at resolve. Yasuo is also subject to the damage on impact, however - he rolls 12 dice and thanks to the vehicle's sturdiness and the fact that he wore a seatbelt, only takes 2 bashing and escapes with a mild concussion.
Reference:
Mage: The Ascension 20th, page 459-460