Fria Ligans forum

If a minor NPC goes down due to stress do you roll criticals as normal or is there an optional rule similar to when their Health goes to zero.

I’m just thinking about the Nexus 9 hit squad in Electric Dreams. It feels like using a called shot to pin them down and thereby give them stress would be a powerful move. With 7 health and 2 resolve it feels like it’s their weak spot even if it feels slightly uncharacteristic of combat Replicants to go to pieces under fire.

All thoughts and advice welcome here.

It's a good question but I don't have an answer. I too am interested in this potential issue !

I wondered about the same thing when I was reading through the rulebook, but sadly, I have no gameplay experience to share here.

If called shots really are too powerful to take down replicants, I would probably houserule that pinning down has no effect on them, as replicants are built to stay cool under fire - at least the combat models.

Wouldn't this follow the same rules when suffering non-self inflicted stress? An Insight check to control your emotions? Insight is basically the equivalent of armor for the brain and it would seem odd that this one pin down mechanic can negate that when being threatened with violence, which is what being pinned down essentially is, can be reduced via an Insight roll.

I don't think the rules for stressful situations - using an Insight roll to avoid stress - apply to suffering stress from being pinned down in combat, but I might be wrong on this; maybe we could get an official clarification?

Even if it's not RAW, I can see this as another houserule to increase combat staying power. I am not sure replicant npcs that suffer from low stress thresholds have a high enough Empathy/Insight score to really solve the issue, though (the hit squad mentioned in the op would roll two d6, for example).

Moreover, what is missing is a Morale rule of sorts. Most people would just give up after being fired upon by the police, most certainly after being hit once. So I houseruled that NPCs (with the exception of Replicant Combat models, which makes them creepier, and other military personnel) give up after suffering one health or stress damage.
Also, the stress rules p74 state that Being fired on and getting wounded causes stress, but the table on p75 only shows being stressed by
- being threatened, a freindly suffering critical, seeing a friendly die.

So I figured, for NPC at least, any damage you suffer will also incur Stress.

Any other ideas ?