The heavier an object, the more difficult it often is to use as an improvised weapon — though of course what’s “heavy” to one character may be trivially easy for another to lift.
If a character can lift an object with his Casual STR, he can use it as an improvised weapon easily;
he suffers no OCV penalty. For every 10 STR (or fraction thereof) beyond his Casual STR that he needs to lift the object, he suffers a -1 OCV penalty. If he has to Push his STR to lift the object, the GM may increase the penalty. If a character cannot lift an object at all, he cannot use it as an improvised weapon.
Balance
Unlike weapons built as weapons, objects used as improvised weapons are rarely properly shaped and balanced for ease of use in HTH Combat. To put it another way, some of them have awkward shapes and/or weight distributions that makes it harder to use them as weapons. A “Balanced” object may impose an OCV penalty of -0 to -2; a Poorly Balanced one of -2 to -3; and an Unbal- anced one -4 OCV or higher.
The GM decides how balanced an object is, taking all relevant factors into account. For example, an object that’s unbalanced for a human- sized character may be balanced (or at least less unbalanced) for a larger character.
If a character wants to use an object as an improvised thrown weapon, consult the rules on 6E2 82 to determine how its balance and aerody- namic properties affect his OCV.
siZe/shape
The GM also needs to consider the size and shape of an improvised weapon. Most objects used as improvised weapons are human-sized or smaller, so their size doesn’t have any significant effect on combat, but large objects are a different matter. In some campaigns, characters have enough STR to wield logs, cars, asteroids, and other large objects as weapons. The GM has two options for handling this situation.
First, he can treat a large object as an “Area Of Effect” attack that covers an area equal to the size and shape of the object. Thus, a supervil- lain who uses a car as a club would cover a 4m x 2m area (the size of a standard car) when he tries to smash the heroes with it. To take a more complicated example, consider a giant using a log as a “club” by swinging it from side to side. That would cover an area defined by the length of the log and the arc through which he swings it. Using an improvised weapon as an “Area Of Effect” allows the character to make his attack against DCV 3 as usual. However, unlike normal Area Of Effect attacks, targets often can Dodge this sort of attack. For example, a knight could simply duck under (or jump over) the log as the giant swings it; the heroes could step out of the way of the car (or acrobatically dive through the open windows) as the supervillain brings it crashing down. Of course, targets can also Dive For Cover if they prefer.
Second, the GM can determine the OCV bonus for targeting the object used as an improvised weapon (see Target Size, 6E2 51) and apply that bonus to the attacker’s OCV when he attacks with the object. Thus, using a human as a club would provide no OCV bonus, but using a log that’s four times human size would add +4 to the attacker’s OCV.
IMPROVISED WEAPON TABlE
Weight ocv ModifierCan be lifted with Casual STR -0 1-10 STR beyond Casual STR needed to lift object -1 11-20 STR beyond Casual STR needed to lift object -2 21-30 STR beyond Casual STR needed to lift object -3
...and so on
Balance ocv Modifier
Balanced (a log, a telephone pole, most rocks) -0 to -2 Poorly Balanced (a tree, a car) -2 to -3 Unbalanced (a piece of rubble, a character) -4 or worse
size/shape ocv Modifier
Treat object as “Area Of Effect” Attack versus DCV 3, but often can be Dodged Treat object as OCV bonus Use object’s Target Size penalty as OCV bonus
volume 2: combat and adventuring n chapter six 175
CONCEAlMENT
T
here are many things a character might want to conceal — weapons, equipment, papers, microfilm, and so on. A character uses the Concealment Skill to hide objects in a room or on his person. The Concealment Skill is used versus the searcher’s Concealment roll (or PER Roll) in a Skill Versus Skill Contest.Each object or weapon has a Perception Modi- fier (“PER Mod”) that provides a rough indica- tion of its size and shape. Likewise, clothing and other items (such as briefcases) have a PER Mod rating as a hiding place, indicating how easy it is to conceal something beneath or inside it. If the object’s PER Mod is less than or equal to the PER Mod rating of the hiding place, it’s hidden from view and can only be found with a search (see below) and successful Concealment Versus Concealment (or PER Roll) Contest. If the object’s PER Mod is larger than the PER Mod rating of the hiding place, then it might be spotted.
If the object is hidden, a viewer may still notice that something’s hidden if he looks hard. If a char- acter specifically asks the GM about the possibility of hidden objects — for example, “Is he carrying something under his jacket?” — he may make a Concealment or PER Roll to check. He suffers a -1 penalty to his Concealment or PER Roll for each +1 PER Mod the object is smaller than its hiding place.
Example: “Bull” Robinson carries an AMT
Backup (PER Mod +1) under his surf jacket (PER Mod 2). The gun won’t be noticed by casual observers; anyone specifically looking for it will take a -1 on his Concealment or PER Roll to find it.
If the object’s PER Mod exceeds the PER Mod rating of the hiding place, anyone can notice the object — it causes an unsightly bulge, or the like. Anyone the character deals with notices the bulge with a successful Concealment or PER Roll.
Example: Bull later decides to carry a Llama
Super Comanche .44 magnum revolver (PER Mod +3) under his jacket. Because the gun is bigger than the jacket’s PER Mod rating, casual observers can notice it. People are starting to talk about Bull.
Concealment or PER Rolls tell a character someone’s carrying a hidden object, but not what
the object is. As long as clothing (or the like) still covers an object, the object’s exact identity remains unknown. However, some information about the object may be available. If an observer notices a bulge under the character’s left armpit, it’s probably a gun... but the observer won’t know what type of gun it is until it comes out into view. Some objects are so large a character can’t hid them in a given area. If a hiding place’s PER Mod is 2 or more points smaller than the object’s PER Mod, the object isn’t considered hidden. Don’t even try hiding a +7 PER Mod machine gun under your hat.
The Concealment Table lists the most common concealment spots for objects and weapons. The PER Mods of various items are listed in the Concealed Objects Table. If an item is not listed, use the listed objects as guidelines to determine an appropriate PER Mod.
Anything less than PER Mod +0 may be hidden on a character’s person with Concealment. Such objects can’t be found visually, but only with a Strip Search and a Concealment Versus Conceal- ment Contest. Such items are considered so small they can fit behind belt buckles, in shoe heels, inside specially created pockets, or even within the character’s body itself (such as in the mouth).
SEARCHING A PERSON
Whenever a character gets captured, his captors will probably search him. There are three kinds of searches: a Fast Patdown; a Thorough Patdown; and a Strip Search. All three work on the basic Concealment Versus Concealment (or PER Roll) system.
A Fast Patdown only takes one Phase and will find most large items hidden on a charac- ter’s torso. The searcher rolls his Concealment or PER Roll, using the PER Mod of any object the character is carrying on his torso as a bonus. The searcher finds each item if he makes his Conceal- ment or PER Roll for each one. The chance is pretty good for him to find a gun, but there’s still a small chance to miss one.
A Thorough Patdown takes a full Turn and will find most large items hidden anywhere on a character’s body. The searcher still must make his Concealment or PER Roll (with an extra time bonus), but he can now find objects hidden anywhere on a character.
A Strip Search is exactly what it sounds like. It takes at least one minute, and often five or ten minutes or more. The searcher removes all of the subject’s clothing and searches it, sometimes even systematically destroying each item of clothing to make sure everything hidden in it is found. Anything not hidden with the Concealment Skill will automatically be found; anything hidden with Concealment will be found if the searcher wins a Skill Versus Skill Contest. After searching the clothing, the searcher turns his attention to the subject and searches him thoroughly, right down to his body cavities; hiding anything is almost impossible. In general, performing a Strip Search grants +5 (or more) to the searcher’s Concealment roll — and, of course, taking extra time to search gives the searcher further bonuses.