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Hi,

Checking the rules I'm not sure which is the mechanic as explained by the rules.

In page 210, it says that Acid Splash damage has 1 base damage and the damage pool is related to type of xenomorph and the damage that the creature has received. Acid Damage attacks armor value as 1 point of armor per acid damage.

But also, in page 68, we have the term Breach Limit, that it says that if a weapon has a base damage lower than the barrier value, it cannot breach.

So my question is:
If there is an encounter with a drone xenomorph (Acid Splash 8)in a spacecraft (for example, damaging the outer bulkhead (3 amor level)) and it receives damage (3 damage), which is the mechanic? Options:
1- Roll 11 dices and if it causes damage then as it cannot breach the armor (per breach limit, remember that acid splash has base damage 1), it only causes the reduction of 1 amor point (reducing from 3 to 2). The next round , repeat the process rolling 6 dices and if it causes damage, reduce armor level from 2 to 1. Finally, the last round as amor level is equal as base damage, all damage is accounted for.

2- Roll 11 dices and it it causes more than 3 damages, it opens a hole in the hull, causing an explosive decompression.

For option 2, Shouldn't the exterior bulkhead (or any bulkead, floor, etc...) have health points? For example: doors have 10 points of health and armor level 2 in the case anyone needs to breach the door.

Any opinion?

Regards,

I don't think Acid Splash technically qualifies as a 'weapon' in order to applying the Breach Limit rule. I think it's an unique effect by itself.

Thus, Option 2, would be more accurate.

Also, I understand that health points for barriers are meant only if you want to completely dismantle/dislodge/destroy the whole barrier in question (structural integrity). If you simply exceed the barrier's armor value, any damage punchs a hole, but the barrier still holds... E.g: Your bullets may punch a hole through the door, but the door still holds, blocking your movement. A small hole is enough to trigger explosive decompression.

You are free to determine any given 'health value' for any barrier or floor. You may also determine when the damage inflicted is enough for any sneaky creature to squeeze its way through (a small hole may be enough for a facehuggy), or when the damage is so huge that the whole section collapses into lower levels, or into space. A single acid splash may be able to create a small hole only, but several acid splashs may bring down the whole floor. You may also rule that a violently killed Xeno's corpse keeps 'bleeding' on the floor, until it collapses into a somewhat large hole, leaving the corpse dramatically hanging, tangled in cables, in a lower level.

Floors aren't typically armored, specially at the lowest level of derelict research space stations brimming with Xenomorphs. Deactivating artificial gravity at the nearest dramatically convenient grav-ctrl terminal is advised.

In the 1979 film I know that Dallas was freaked out by the prospect of the acid from Kane's Facehugger eating through the hull. At the moment, I don't remember if the Nostromo was still on the planet during that scene. If so, his alarm is totally valid. If they were in space at that time, it raises questions that are going to be hard to answer.

We would have to think harder than we probably want to about how artificial gravity 'works' in the Alienverse. As annoying as that prospect is. Presumably there is some kind of 'floor' to the gravity field at which the acid would settle, and presumably this 'floor' would exist somewhere near the bottom of the ship, but not at a point beyond the ship's physical dimension.

I LIKE the idea of Xeno acid creating a threat of explosive decompression, I WANT that tool in my GM kit, but the logic of it is kind of hard to get to.

In the 1979 film I know that Dallas was freaked out by the prospect of the acid from Kane's Facehugger eating through the hull. At the moment, I don't remember if the Nostromo was still on the planet during that scene. If so, his alarm is totally valid. If they were in space at that time, it raises questions that are going to be hard to answer.

We would have to think harder than we probably want to about how artificial gravity 'works' in the Alienverse. As annoying as that prospect is. Presumably there is some kind of 'floor' to the gravity field at which the acid would settle, and presumably this 'floor' would exist somewhere near the bottom of the ship, but not at a point beyond the ship's physical dimension.

I LIKE the idea of Xeno acid creating a threat of explosive decompression, I WANT that tool in my GM kit, but the logic of it is kind of hard to get to.

I imagine gravity or the effect of it is produced locally as needed, probably per deck. In Alien: Isolation we see Amanda activate it once inside the airlock, causing her to fall to the deck. That has to be a local effect.

But to the point of the acid, it wont stop once it reaches whatever is generating the gravity or goes below it. If not subject to gravity other forces would still be in effect. The reaction with the material it is in contact with would continue and surface tension would likely keep the acid together to an extent. I imagine it beginning to spread in roughly circular pattern once no longer drawn down. Of course it would be entirely possible for the blob and the piece of metal it was on to go drifting off into space. The acidic reaction is anaerobic so far as I know so it will probably continue to dissolve the metal even as it drifts away. I suspect whatever mechanism generates gravity in the Aliens universe is unidirectional. If it works in both directions there are too many complications that would impact what we see on screen. So I would rule once you're "below" it, you're weightless.

As to the rules... I raised this myself a while back and I think it needs addressing properly. Semantic fiddling like 'acid isn't stated to count as a weapon' doesn't work for me and frankly opens a pandora's box of problems. So Armour doesn't apply if something isn't a "weapon"? Falling through a pane of glass will cause as much damage whether you're wearing protective armour as if you're naked? No. There's an endless line of problems waiting to come in once you start opening doors like that and GMs shouldn't have to be thrown into it like that either. The rules should cover how Acid affects vehicles. Well, they do in fact cover it - the problem is that the rules result in something contrary to the canon.

-Quoting Teean

As to the rules... I raised this myself a while back and I think it needs addressing properly. Semantic fiddling like 'acid isn't stated to count as a weapon' doesn't work for me and frankly opens a pandora's box of problems. So Armour doesn't apply if something isn't a "weapon"? Falling through a pane of glass will cause as much damage whether you're wearing protective armour as if you're naked? No. There's an endless line of problems waiting to come in once you start opening doors like that and GMs shouldn't have to be thrown into it like that either. The rules should cover how Acid affects vehicles. Well, they do in fact cover it - the problem is that the rules result in something contrary to the canon.

 
The problem wasn't if armour applies or not, or what constitutes a weapon or not. The problem was related to specifically the Breach Limit rule... when it applies, and when not, and if it should be applied to Xeno's blood.

Armor will apply whenever it can act as 'barrier' between the source of damage and you. I don't think anyone has problems with this. A can of CN-20 gas is classified as a weapon, but regardless, your armor will be useless against it. Many things that cause damage are weapons... but many things that also cause damage won't be. Grabbing a rock and trowing it will be considered a weapon, but pushing someone over a cliff will not... Even if both cause damage. Armor will definitely help vs the rock, but won't do anything agaisnt the fall... And so on.

However, the breach limit rule, seems to be specifically catered towards 'weapons' specially those with 'damage rating' and/or armor piercing properties.

Furthermore, if you consider the acid splash a 'Weapon' and thus, apply the Breach Limit rule to it... per RAW... it means that Xenomorph's acid blood can't eat through anything that has an armor value of 2+, since their acid blood has base damage rating 1... And by the same logic, Human blood would also be a 'weapon' with base damage rating 0 plus +0 per extra success result.

Clearly not what's intended.

-Quoting tliciousx

We would have to think harder than we probably want to about how artificial gravity 'works' in the Alienverse. As annoying as that prospect is. Presumably there is some kind of 'floor' to the gravity field at which the acid would settle, and presumably this 'floor' would exist somewhere near the bottom of the ship, but not at a point beyond the ship's physical dimension.

 
IIRC, artificial gravity on the ALIEN setting is achieved by means of sinchronized and polarized gravity field generators on the ship's lenght (or individual sections) that achieve sort of an "up-down' axis with a constant flow of 1G (which is also adjustable), and which also provide inertial dampening.
Yes, moslty comprised of Handwavium, but the closest thing you'll get to a technical explanation.

The problem wasn't if armour applies or not, or what constitutes a weapon or not. The problem was related to specifically the Breach Limit rule... when it applies, and when not, and if it should be applied to Xeno's blood.

You wrote: "I don't think Acid Splash technically qualifies as a 'weapon' in order to applying the Breach Limit rule. I think it's an unique effect by itself" and that you don't think floors 'possess Armour'.

Breach Limit, which we are discussing, is a facet of Armour and listed under the Armour section and is defined with terms like "if the armour level is higher than the base damage of the weapon".

Hence my saying that if you get into a mess of trying to argue what is Armour and Weapons as some special rules category, you're asking for trouble. I stand by everything I wrote.

Feel free to discount whatever I say, but I feel like this is one of those situational things where you need to be able to decide on a moments notice (I use a coin for stuff like this, to my horror sometimes.) to determine if the acid eats through the hull or if it gets caught up on some (luckily placed) material/cargo that depletes the molecular acid's aggressive charge and simmers out to a spent/weakened state of goop.

DoW recommended using "acid holes" as a way to help players move down towards an objective, and I think that's a cool way to subtly help stuck players. In the event of a spaceship/explosive decompression scenario, this could be straight up lethal, so I would just try to plan accordingly. At the end of the day, you can rule whatever happens for whatever reason. If you and your players are into narrative, then this shouldn't be too hard for everyone to go along with-- If you or your players prefer more rigid input/outcome for this kind of thing, whatever the acid splash rating + amount of damage in base dice (base 1) = how many floors it can eat through, -1 per floor/plane it has to go through. Adding +1 armor depending on if the material is thicker or more robust for some reason. If your acid rating + damage > floors/planes/armor = explosive decompression.

Good luck!

 
IIRC, artificial gravity on the ALIEN setting is achieved by means of sinchronized and polarized gravity field generators on the ship's lenght (or individual sections) that achieve sort of an "up-down' axis with a constant flow of 1G (which is also adjustable), and which also provide inertial dampening.

I absolutely plan to quote this word for word to any players that question my rulings on artificial gravity. And when they (predictably) ask "Yes, but what does that MEAN?" I will simply quote it back to them again.